ADA President Ronald Tankersley, D.D.S., was in Washington, DC, May 12, urging members of the House Appropriations Committee to continue providing adequate funding for Department of Health and Human Services oral health programs.
Testifying before the committee, Dr. Tankersley noted that the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has established research networks to answer questions that private practice dentists face every day in treating their patients. He also spoke of the institute's research into salivary diagnostics, which one day could be used to screen for various cancers and other chronic health conditions, and urged the committee to fund the NIDCR at $463 million to continue its critical research.
"These networks allow for the rapid translation of scientific advances into clinical practice," he stated.
According to Dr. Tankersley, the ADA is also recommending that $33 million be approved to fully fund the state infrastructure grant program sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Oral Health Division and to help local communities establish or rebuild their community water fluoridation systems.
"The ADA has said for many years that the nation cannot 'drill and fill' its way out of the epidemic of untreated oral disease," he told the committee. "But there are viable solutions for preventing disease: through community water fluoridation, early applications of dental sealants and fluoride varnishes, establishing dental homes for children, and oral health literacy programs. These proven, cost-effective measures can dramatically reduce oral disease."
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