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

Legislative

NIDCR Appropriations:
Possible Supplemental Package?
1. When Congress returns to session the week of September 8th, it is expected to address the FY09 appropriations process, which has stalled.  (For a recap of where it currently stands, click here.) Because the process is not expected to conclude in the traditional manner by September 30th, the end of the fiscal year, Congress will need to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep government running into FY09.

2. In addition to the CR, Congress will consider a second FY08 Domestic Supplemental package in September to provide immediate increased funding for various Federal programs, agencies and other critical needs. In this proposed second Domestic Supplemental package, NIH funding would be augmented by $500 million.

3. A third possible option to conclude the appropriations process is to compile the CR and Domestic Supplemental, along with natural disaster relief, into one all-encompassing appropriations package. If this is the case, the NIH community will need to exercise its collective voice in order to ensure NIH funding is included in this package. Not every item in the Supplemental package is guaranteed to be included in such a massive bill.

How You Can Help
September will be an important month for The Friends of NIDCR and the NIH community to ensure that funding is both included and increased for NIH and NIDCR. Reach out to your members of Congress to urge them to support an increase of NIH and NIDCR funding.

Find your members of Congress at  www.house.gov  or  www.senate.gov.  Or contact your legislators by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 

If you have additional questions, please contact our legislative director Andrew Kaffes at legislative@fnidcr.org.

Other Legislative Strategies to Increase
NIH Funding Applauded
Not to be lost in the shuffle was a welcomed initiative in July by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman, Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the Subcommittee's ranking member, to provide NIH an additional $5.2 Billion in research funding for FYO8.

"We wholeheartedly applaud and welcome this effort by Senators Harkin and Specter," said FNIDCR President Dr. Bruce Donoff. "Moreover, their statements stressing the significance of NIH funding to Americans are to be commended. Our hope is that their colleagues in Congress will revisit this funding initiative in the near future."

In a joint statement, Sen. Harkin stated, "It is vital for Congress to support our science as they search for treatments and cures that could provide hope to millions of Americans", and Sen. Specter added, "Funding for the NIH is grossly insufficient and Congress must do something about this scandalous situation."

Rep. Cummings Joins the Oral Health Caucus
The Friends of NIDCR welcomes U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) who joined the Congressional Oral Health Caucus shortly after we held our 60th NIDCR Birthday Celebration in June. He was instrumental in the inclusion of guaranteed dental benefits to the re-authorization of CHIP and is the sponsor of H.R.2731—“Deamonte’s Law.”  Cummings is a seven-term congressman and is a member of the House Task Force on Healthcare Reform.

The Caucus now has eight members. Help us grow the Congressional Oral Health Caucus. Please contact legislative@fnidcr.org for more information.

News

NIDCR Launches New Website
NIDCR has launched its new website at  www.nidcr.nih.gov The new site features simplified navigation with fewer clicks to accomplish key tasks, an "A to Z" index, new content, and a user-friendly graphic design, among other features. The redesign was guided by usability testing with NIDCR's major audiences: researchers, students, educators, patients and consumers, dental and medical care providers, and public health professionals, as well as by online user surveys and interviews with NIDCR staff.

Obituaries

Past NIDCR Director Harald Löe
Dr. Harald Löe, an internationally recognized expert in periodontal research and Past Director of NIDCR from 1983-1994 passed away on August 9 at his home in Norway. He was 82. His work on gingivitis, bacteria and antimicrobials, including chlorhexidine, contributed to his strong advocacy of both fundamental and clinical investigations while at the NIDCR.

Calling his legacy “formidable,” Lois Cohen, Ph.D., spoke of Dr. Löe’s considerable accomplishments at the recent 60th Anniversary of the NIDCR sponsored by FNIDCR, including doubling the NIDCR budget from about “$80 million to almost $170 million. He led the effort to establish the Dentist Scientist Award program and internationalized NIDCR’s research agenda,” she said, “as the NIDR became the WHO Collaborating Center for Dental Research and Training. He created, with the help of a Congressional directive, 30 centers for oral health research around the country. He was very concerned about the available labor force for dental research,”

Dr. Cohen also read a note from Dr. Löe encapsulating his thoughts on his time spent as director. “I have now reached the stage in life when long memory is predominant; and as I contemplate my six decades of involvement in dental research, education and practice, I think of my time in the Institute as especially interesting, important and meaningful. I continue to be proud of the Institute’s past and current scientific endeavors and its impact on oral health improvements around the world.” (Click for more background information).

US Surgeon General Julius Richmond
We mourn the recent passing of Dr. Julius Richmond, a pediatrician and public health leader, who served as both Assistant Secretary for Health and U.S. Surgeon General (1977 to 1981). His contributions to public health were extensive and ground-breaking. His landmark report, issued in 1979, Healthy People: The Surgeon General’s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, established the call for the nation to coalesce in reducing health risks and promoting health promotion programs such as water fluoridation.  This report launched the nation’s health promotion and disease prevention objective initiative.  Known as Healthy People this initiative is now in its fourth decade.  Oral health was part of this initiative from its inception, starting first as a focus on Fluoridation and Dental Health to the current Healthy People 2010 focus on Oral Health.  Dr. Richmond also appointed the first dentist to serve as Deputy Surgeon General, Dr. John Green. He will be missed, but his legacy continues with the programs he established.  The dental community is indebted to his leadership. (Click for more background information).

NIDCR Supported Research

Get Updated on Current NIDCR News in Brief

• Marker of Salivary Progenitor Cells Identified
  
  
• From Oncogenes to DNA Methylation
  
  
• Defining Cells One Pathway At a Time
  
  
• A Look at Pregnancy and Dental Care
  
  
• Rethinking Isolated Cleft Palate
  
  
• Study Finds Tooth Eruption Accelerated in Kids with Diabetes
  
  
• Study Evaluates Oral Care and Bacteremia Risk
  
  
• Study Evaluates Periodontal Disease Contributing to Diabetes Risk
  
  
• GWAS Study Looks Into Clefting, Dental Conditions
  

Help the Future of Oral Research
These are critical times for the future of oral health research. For the past five years, federal funding of the National Institutes of Health, in general, has failed to keep up with biomedical inflation rates placing our nation at tremendous risk. The funding story for the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research is even worse as its budget percentage increase has been far below that of other Institutes during the past decade.

This lack of federal funding means less grants for the talented researchers and scientists at NIDCR and other research facilities around the country. It is a national crisis and a national disgrace.

A New Administration & Congress Coming in 2009
A great opportunity to impact policy in Washington is presented with the start of a new administration and Congress in 2009. Therefore, each and every voice we add to this worthy cause, including yours, helps to amplify our collective message:

How Can You Help?
Start by becoming a member of the Friends of NIDCR. As a member, you, your company or your organization can play a significant role to ensure Washington remains committed to properly funding medical research at NIH and NIDCR.

For more info on the Friends of NIDCR, click here.

For a membership application, click here.