IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1078 
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the National Institute of Dental and 
Craniofacial Research and its critical role in improving the dental, oral, 
and craniofacial health of the United States through research, training, 
and the dissemination of health information. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 13, 2024 
Mr. BABIN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the National Institute 
of Dental and Craniofacial Research and its critical role 
in improving the dental, oral, and craniofacial health 
of the United States through research, training, and 
the dissemination of health information. 
Whereas, in 1948, Congress and President Harry S. Truman 
created the National Institute of Dental Research as a 
component of the National Institutes of Health (referred 
to in this preamble as ‘‘NIH’’), in response to an epi-
demic of tooth decay that adversely affected the oral 
health, overall health, and military readiness of the 
United States; 
Whereas, on October 21, 1998, Congress changed the name 
of the National Institute of Dental Research to the Na-
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•HRES 1078 IH 
tional Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (re-
ferred to in this preamble as ‘‘NIDCR’’) to accurately re-
flect the support of NIDCR for both dental and 
craniofacial research; 
Whereas NIDCR is the primary dental, oral, and craniofacial 
biomedical and behavioral research and research training 
organization in the United States, advancing funda-
mental knowledge about dental, oral, and craniofacial 
health and disease, disease prevention, early detection, 
and treatment strategies to improve overall health for all 
individuals and communities across the lifespan; 
Whereas NIDCR is recognized by Congress, the NIH, oral 
health stakeholders, and the biomedical research commu-
nity as a leader of the oral health research enterprise of 
the United States that supports research funding, man-
agement, and scientific training across the United States; 
Whereas NIDCR performs interdisciplinary research and 
translates results from the laboratory to the clinic, by 
means of scientific excellence in laboratory, clinical, be-
havioral, translational, and population-based programs in 
support of the mission of the NIH, which is the premier 
biomedical research agency in the world; 
Whereas NIDCR responds urgently to critical public health 
needs such as the COVID–19 pandemic, providing over 
$4,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 in grant supplements to 
study SARS–CoV–2, develop novel viral detection sys-
tems, and address critical needs of patients and oral 
health practitioners; 
Whereas NIDCR collaborates with academic institutions, in-
dustry partners, and government agencies to disseminate 
information about discoveries to the public; 
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Whereas the researchers at NIDCR pioneered the use of epi-
demiology and preventive approaches to demonstrate that 
dental caries is an epidemic disease and community water 
fluoridation is a safe, effective, and economical way to 
prevent and reduce tooth decay; 
Whereas NIDCR established— 
(1) the Laboratory of Oral Medicine and the Lab-
oratory of Microbiology and Immunology to conduct re-
search on the causes, prevention, and treatment of 
periodontitis and other diseases of the soft tissues of the 
oral cavity; 
(2) the Laboratory of Oral Biology and Physiology 
to conduct research on the cell biology of secretory tis-
sues and proteins; 
(3) the Mineralized Tissue Research Branch to in-
vestigate skeletal development and disorders; 
(4) the Center for Integrative Biology and Infectious 
Diseases to investigate pain, tissue regeneration, oral 
cancers, autoimmune illnesses, salivary gland biology, and 
oral microbiota; 
(5) the Center for Clinical Research to conduct clin-
ical trials and practice-based research and to investigate 
clinical technologies, oral health disparities, and oral 
health for those with HIV/AIDS; and 
(6) the National Oral Health Information Clearing-
house as a centralized public resource on oral health top-
ics; 
Whereas, in 2000, NIDCR established the NIDCR Patient 
Advocates Forum to enhance communication among pa-
tient groups and incorporate patient perspectives in re-
search planning, and continues to maintain active en-
gagement with the group; 
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Whereas NIDCR— 
(1) launched the National Caries Program to pre-
vent and reduce dental caries; 
(2) created the Epidemiology and Oral Disease Pre-
vention Program to investigate the national distribution 
of dental caries, periodontal diseases, and other oral dis-
eases and disorders; 
(3) launched the Research and Action Program to 
Improve the Oral Health of Older Americans and Other 
Adults at High Risk; 
(4) established the first regional Dental Practice- 
Based Research Network, to investigate pressing clinical 
issues, including the association between bisphosphonates 
and osteonecrosis of the jaw, and methods for treating 
cracked teeth and tooth hypersensitivity; and 
(5) launched the FaceBase Consortium to compile 
the biological instructions to build the human face and 
define the genetics underlying developmental disorders 
such as cleft lip and palate; 
Whereas NIDCR— 
(1) opened the first multidisciplinary pain clinic de-
voted exclusively to research; 
(2) established major initiatives to support cutting- 
edge research on temporomandibular disorders (referred 
to in this preamble as ‘‘TMDs’’); 
(3) sponsored a technology assessment conference on 
the management of TMDs; 
(4) launched the Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evalua-
tion and Risk Assessment clinical study to examine risk 
factors that contribute to the development of TMDs; 
(5) cosponsored the consensus study entitled 
‘‘Temporomandibular Disorders: Priorities for Research 
and Care’’ to help inform approaches to advancing TMDs 
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research and guide the development of evidence-based 
treatment and clinical management of patients with 
TMDs; 
(6) established a TMD Multi-Council Working 
Group to develop a roadmap to strengthen the under-
standing of TMDs; and 
(7) launched the national TMD Collaborative for 
Improving Patient-Centered Translational Research to 
advance research, training, and improved clinical care; 
Whereas NIDCR sponsored a variety of scientific con-
ferences, including Face of a Child, the first national, 
multidisciplinary meeting on children and oral health, 
and a consensus development conference, Dental Im-
plants—Benefit and Risk, to examine available data, sug-
gest future research, and draft guidelines for implant 
therapy; 
Whereas NIDCR has made strategic investments in all areas 
of dental, oral, and craniofacial research, which has led 
to many scientific advances, including development of 
novel nanocomposites and self-healing dental restorative 
materials, the Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Tissue Re-
generative Consortium, which was launched to develop 
methods for regenerating functional tissues of the human 
dental, oral, and craniofacial complex, and a NIDCR- 
sponsored symposium focusing on the Science and Devel-
opment of Autotherapies; 
Whereas, in 1999, NIDCR introduced its Strategic Plan to 
Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, supporting 
research to end oral health disparities and increase re-
search and clinical workforce diversity, then funded 5 
Centers for Research to Reduce Oral Health Disparities, 
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which were among the first NIH centers focused on re-
ducing health disparities; 
Whereas, in collaboration with the Office of the Surgeon Gen-
eral, NIDCR supported the 2000 Oral Health In Amer-
ica: A Report of the Surgeon General, the first Surgeon 
General report dedicated solely to oral health, and, in 
2021, released the Oral Health in America: Advances and 
Challenges report, examining progress on the oral health 
of the United States and serving as a national call to ac-
tion; 
Whereas NIDCR released the NIDCR Strategic Plan: 2021– 
2026, which— 
(1) articulates the vision of the NIH and identifies 
investments designed to diminish disparities and yield the 
greatest impact for those with dental and oral diseases; 
(2) expanded collaborations and partnerships to ac-
celerate new discoveries, including examining the nerves 
in the jaw and temporomandibular joint as part of the 
Restoring Joint Health and Function to Reduce Pain 
Consortium; 
(3) launched the Practice-based Research Inte-
grating Multidisciplinary Experiences in Dental Schools, 
to expand research training into dental school clinics 
equipping future oral health practitioners with the knowl-
edge to carry out research; and 
(4) released the Advancement of Head and Neck 
Cancer Early Detection Research initiative to develop 
biomarkers and novel technologies for early detection of 
malignant cells in order to halt oral cancer progression; 
and 
Whereas NIDCR looks to the future of biomedical science by 
continuing to support, discover, and develop cutting-edge 
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approaches to improve the dental, oral, craniofacial, and 
overall health of all people of the United States: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) celebrates the 75th anniversary of the 
founding of the National Institute of Dental and 
Craniofacial Research (referred to in this resolution 
as ‘‘NIDCR’’) and the critical role of NIDCR in ad-
vancing biomedical and behavioral research and the 
mission of the National Institutes of Health, the 
premier biomedical research agency in the world; 
(2) commends NIDCR for its work to address 
the COVID–19 pandemic by investigating the trans-
missibility of SARS–CoV–2 in dental settings, study-
ing oral viral entry and infection, methods to pre-
vent transmission, replication, and shedding, and 
supporting the development of the most promising 
treatments and vaccines; and 
(3) declares that NIDCR is a vital, venerable, 
and essential component of the National Institutes 
of Health and the overall public health and science 
strategy of the United States. 
Æ 
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