SRES369FEB10

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending February 10, 2006

S.RES.369 A resolution congratulating the American Dental Association for sponsoring the 4th annual "Give Kids a Smile" program, which emphasizes the need to improve access to dental care for children, and thanking dentists for volunteering their time to help provide needed dental care.

It’s cavities that most plague youthful mouths and leads to poor eating and sleeping and decreased attention in school, the Resolution preamble says. Poor kids are more prone to cavities than others and least able to pay for care.

Dentists donate $1.7 billion in free dental care yearly and 11,000 dentists provided $33 million in dental care to 500,000 kids in the 3^rd annual Give Kids a Smile program in February of last year.

the Resolution commends the dentists for their help and reminds that the 4^th annual Give Kids a Smile effort (was) February 3, 2006.

Sponsor: Senator Debbie Stabenow (R-MI)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent February 7, 2005

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost.

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MORE INFORMATION

Whereas dental caries (more commonly known as tooth decay) is the most common chronic childhood disease;

Whereas untreated tooth decay results in thousands of children experiencing poor eating and sleeping patterns, suffering decreased attention spans at school, and being unable to smile;

Whereas due to a confluence of factors, children eligible for Medicaid and the State children's health insurance program are 3 to 5 times more likely than other children to experience and suffer from untreated tooth decay;

Whereas dentists provide an estimated $1,700,000,000 annually in non-reimbursed dental care;

Whereas nearly 11,000 dentists provided approximately $33,000,000 of free care to almost 500,000 children in the 3rd annual `Give Kids a Smile' program held on February 4, 2005;

Whereas the participation of dentists in the 4th annual `Give Kids a Smile' program, established and sponsored by the American Dental Association and held on February 3, 2006, serves to remind people in the United States about the need to end untreated childhood dental disease; and

Whereas the generous support of numerous corporations, such as Crest Healthy Smiles, Sullivan-Schein Dental, and DEXIS Digital X-ray Systems, helps make the `Give Kids a Smile' program a success: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) congratulates the American Dental Association for establishing and continuing its sponsorship of the `Give Kids a Smile' program;

(2) emphasizes the need to improve access to dental care for children; and

(3) thanks the thousands of dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and others who volunteered their time to bring a smile to the faces of hundreds of thousands of children on February 3, 2006.

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