The Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) online newsletter is a membership benefit. Permission is granted to repost this publication only with inclusion of the header. Past issues are posted at http://www.fnidcr.org/newsletters/index.html.

2007 Annual Gala

Research and Education Kickoff NIDCR
60th Birthday Year at Annual Gala

“What a unique group of individuals attending the 9th Annual FNIDCR Gala – individual researchers, dental school deans, patient advocacy groups, educators, dentists, major dental corporations, the Washington Post, Scientific American, and representatives from many non- profit dental organizations from across the US, Canada and England,” said Peter Anas, FNIDCR Executive Director. This typified the sentiment at the Friends of the FNIDCR 9th Annual Gala, held in December at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Read the article and see photos.

Congressman Simpson Captures
Audience with Gala Remarks
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) served as our Annual Gala Keynote Speaker.  Simpson championed the notion of the importance of providing proper federal funding for Health and Education-related causes because of how it benefits and strengthens our society.  He applauded the medical research being conducted at NIDCR and NIH and the work of organizations like FNIDCR that support the Institute in its mission.  Simpson offered that "the benefits that result from research being conducted at NIH are some of the best kept secrets to the American taxpayer."

Washington Post & Scientific American Amongst Awardees
Yolanda Bonta, DMD, MS, Gala Chair & FNIDCR Past President noted that “the Board of Directors has chosen to recognize a remarkable group of people who do what they do, because they genuinely care about Oral Health.”
See award recipient list.

W.H.O. Director-General Speaks About
Climate Change and Health
The morning of the FNIDCR Annual Gala, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, delivered the David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.  Her lecture, entitled "Climate Change and Health," may be viewed at http://videocast.nih.gov/. The lecture is jointly sponsored by the NIDCR, the Fogarty International Center and FNIDCR. A transcript of Dr. Chan's lecture is also available here.

LEGISLATIVE

Monitoring Update

FY08 Funding for NIDCR
As a short background, during the week of November 5, 2007, Congress passed the FY08 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill which included funding for NIH and NIDCR.  President George W. Bush vetoed the bill on November 13th because the bill contained nearly $10 billion more in spending than he wanted. An attempt to override the bill in the House of Representatives failed by a vote of 277 to 141.

Congress Gives NIH Less Than 1% Funding Increase
The FY08 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill was enrolled as part of a larger $555 billion omnibus spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2008, which Congress passed the week of December 17, 2007.  In the bill, NIH received $29.7 billion in funding. Overall, it is only an increase of less than 1% from previous funding levels, woefully short of the 8.2 percent increase as authorized in the NIH Reform Act of 2006. NIDCR received $396 million in the Consolidated Appropriations Act. This amount is roughly $3.2 million less than the amount passed in the vetoed legislation of November, and significantly below the $420 million recommended by FNIDCR. President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2008 on December 26, 2007.

FNIDCR President Reacts
“We are dismayed at the final levels of funding invested in medical research for NIH and NIDCR,” said FNIDCR President Dr. Bruce Donoff.  “Despite our disappointment, we will continue to remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that the innovative and groundbreaking research conducted at NIH and NIDCR receives the proper funding it deserves for fiscal year 2009 and beyond.”

SCHIP Extension Passed Without Expanding Program
During the week of December 17, Congress passed an extension of SCHIP funding until March 2009. The program is expected to cover 6.6 million children. Attempts by Congress to expand the program by $35 billion to an estimated 4 million additional children were vetoed by President George W. Bush on two occasions. The president signed the extension into law on December 29, 2007.
 
Help Grow the Congressional Oral Health Caucus
In 2008, we will be looking for opportunities to help grow the Congressional Oral Health Caucus.  The Caucus is a bipartisan body of legislators committed to supporting crucial federal dental and oral health research initiatives and providing vital dental health services to our nation. For a complete list of Caucus members, please visit the FNIDCR Web site. With your help, we can help the Caucus grow. For more information, contact Andrew Kaffes, FNIDCR Legislative Director at legislative@fnidcr.org.

FNIDCR Creates Awareness of
NIDCR’S Work on Capitol Hill
On December 5, 2007, FNIDCR Executive Director Peter Anas and Legislative Director Andrew Kaffes organized a congressional visit for NIDCR Director Dr. Lawrence Tabak and Deputy Director Dr. Isabel Garcia.  Drs. Tabak and Garcia visited U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who co-chairs the Oral Health Caucus, to update the congressman on the latest developments and advances in medical research being conducted at NIDCR.

Oral Surgeon to Run for Congress
Craig Schmidtke, DDS, a 37-year-old oral surgeon, announced his candidacy for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Terry Everett of Alabama.  He attended dental school at the University of Minnesota from 1990-1994, and completed a four-year residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich.(1994-1998).  The congressional seat is in Alabama’s second district. 

NIDCR Research

Scientists Discover Candidate Salivary
Marker for Sjogren's Syndrome
Three years ago, scientists supported by the NIDCR began taking the first full inventory of the proteins that are normally produced in our salivary glands.  Now, one of those scientists and his colleagues offer a first glimpse into how this new research tool can be applied to detect subtle changes in the protein content of a person’s saliva that may be linked to an oral or systemic disease.  As reported in the November issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, the scientists detected 42 proteins and 16 peptides in saliva that clinically discriminated between people with the primary form of Sjogren’s Syndrome and healthy volunteers.  See the interview with the study’s senior author Dr. David Wong, a scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry at http://www.fnidcr.org/research/sjogrens.html