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May 2006 Update NIH Director Zerhouni Provides Congressional Testimony NIDCR Update NIDCR Research News Children with Oral Clefts Show Pro-social Behavior with Peers Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report News from NIDCR Patient Advocacy Spotlight: TMJ/TMJD Effective Strategies For Tobacco Cessation Underused, Panel Says Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report News from NIDCR Message from NIH Director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni NIDCR's Dr. Lois Cohen Retires Patient Advocacy Spotlight: TMJ New Method of Jaw Reconstruction for Oral Cancer Patients Report Explores the Impact of Methamphetamine Use on Family Well-Being Association Between Overweight and Dental Caries Among Children Oral Health Behaviors of Children in Different Socioeconomic Status Families Funding Opportunities News From NIDCR Patient Advocate Spotlight: The American Academy of Pain Management NIH Launches National Consortium To Transform Clinical Research NIH Request for Input on Proposed Repository for Genetic Information Journal of Craniofacial Surgery Publishes Research by Iraqi Surgeons ELECTRONIC Submission News New Campaign Encourages Tobacco Users To 'Be A Quitter' Amateur Soccer Has High Rates of Face and Mouth Injuries Call for Abstracts for Posters, Oral Presentations and Roundtables Herschel S. Horowitz Scholarship Deadline Approaching Dr. Barry R. Bloom Delivers Barmes Global Health Lecture 2006 Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report NIDCR Research News A Conversation with NIDCR Director Lawrence Tabak NIDCR Deputy Director Kleinman to Retire January 1, 2007 NIH Director Zerhouni Desk-to-Desk Message Patient Advocate Spotlight: The American Academy of Pain Management Study Finds Periodontal Treatment Does Not Lower Preterm Birth Risk Babies with Cleft Conditions, Pierre Robin Sequence May Need Extended Treatment for Poor Feeding Skills Teeth Tell the Tale Consumers Perceive Strong Link Between Oral And Medical Health HHS Sect. Leavitt Comments On Dr. Chan Nomination to WHO Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report Funding Opportunities Organization Creates Effort to Elect Science Research Supporters Treatment of Periodontal Disease and the Risk of Preterm Birth Help Me Smile: Oral Health Risk Assessment Protocols 2007 Folic Acid Campaign Materials Released IADR/AADR Member Named Ambassador for Global Health Research Patient Advocacy Spotlight: National Osteoporosis Foundation NIDA Researchers Unlock the Genetic Contribution to Tobacco Addition NIH Announces More Than 50 Awards in the Pathway to Independence Program NIDCR Research News Federal Legislative Update Executive Director's Report NIDCR Research News NIH News Patient Advocacy Spotlight: Hispanic Dental Association Patients With Cleft Conditions Can Prevent Tooth Decay New Screening Process Helps Better Diagnose Oral Cancers Link Found Between Periodontal Disease and Pancreatic Cancer Health Tips on Fluoride and Teeth National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center Initiatives Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report NIDCR News NIH News Patient Advocacy Spotlight: The Children's Craniofacial Association Folic Acid May Prevent Cleft Lip and Palate TMJ Disorders Publication Now Available from the NIDCR World No Tobacco Day 31 May 2007 A Tribute to Dr. Lois K. Cohen Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report NIDCR Science News NIH News Patient Advocacy Spotlight: Hispanic Dental Association Advocacy Groups Support NIH Director's Stem Cell Stance Study Links Gum Disease and Early Indicators Of Cardiovascular Disease Medical Personnel Can Save More Lives by Screening for Oral Signs of Disease AGD Applauds Increase In Health Care Programs, But More Help Is Needed ADA Encouraging Health Care Providers to Practice in Underserved Areas ADA President Kathy Roth Urges Congress to Improve Access to Dental Care Dental Insurance, Caregivers' Determinants of Underserved Seeing Dentist Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report NIDCR Science News NIH News Patient Advocacy Spotlight: ACCRF Salivary Diagnostic Device Shows Promise Scientists Decode Genome of Oral Pathogen Congressman Simpson Introduces Legislation for Children's Dental Health Dentists Need Tools to Improve Brushing and Flossing Behavior Dental X-Rays of Carotid Artery Not Enough to Estimate Stroke Risk RWJ Foundation Commits $500 Million to Reverse Childhood Obesity Funding Opportunities Executive Director's Report NIDCR Science News Patient Advocacy Spotlight: Special Care Dentistry Association NIH Update CDC Study Finds Dental Health Among Young Children Worsening Report Highlights State Policy Options for Improving Oral Health for Children Forum Provides Directions To Women’s Periodontal Health and Birth Outcomes Report Presents National Estimates and Trends for Oral Health Status Measures The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center Testimony Highlights Limitations of Data For Gauging Medicaid's Success in Providing Oral Health Services to Children Dentists Need More Training in Oral Cancer Detection Building Consumer Demand for Tobacco Cessation Products and Services NYU Names Dr. Charles Bertolami Dean of Nation's Largest Dental School Funding Opportunities


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NIH Director Zerhouni Provides Congressional Testimony

Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request, House Subcommittee on Labor-HHS Appropriations

Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Director, April 6, 2006:

Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the subcommittee, it is an honor and a privilege to appear before you today to present the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget request for Fiscal Year 2007 and discuss the priorities of NIH for this year and beyond.

The request for NIH is $28.4 billion in FY 2007, the same as the FY 2006 level for the Agency. The budget request will support the research programs managed by NIH's Institutes and Centers. At this budget level, NIH will increase the biodefense research program by $110 million for Advanced Development. Support for the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan will increase by $17 million. We have also chosen to carefully invest in several trans-NIH strategic initiatives. The NIH Roadmap, an incubator for new ideas and initiatives that will accelerate the pace of discovery, increases by $113 million. We allocated $40 million to the Institutes and Centers to launch the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative to accelerate discovery of the major genetic and environmental factors for diseases that have a substantial public health impact. We have also directed $15 million to the new "Pathway to Independence" program to increase our support of new investigators.

For the full testimony, visit: www.nih.gov/.../fy2007directorsbudgetrequest.htm

NIDCR Update

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) invites input as it develops research initiatives for Fiscal Year 2008. Themes for the research initiatives and instructions on how to provide input are available at: www.nidcr.nih.gov/.../RequestforPublicInputResearchInitiativesFY2008.htm.

Respondents can also access the initiatives page by clicking the green button titled "Submit Comments on FY 2008 Research Initiatives" on the NIDCR home page at www.nidcr.nih.gov.

NIDCR Research News

www.nidcr.nih.gov/.../default

Oral Bacterium May Have Greater Role in Systemic Disease than Previously Thought
Researchers have known for years that the oral bacterium with the torturously long name of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans can cause juvenile periodontal disease. Less well established is the bacterium’s possible role in systemic disease. Part of this uncertainty hinges on a conflicting data on the bacterium's ability to break open red blood cells, a virulence trait called hemolysis that clinical microbiologists frequently evaluate to identify pathogens in diagnostic laboratories. Some previous studies have indicated that certain strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans are beta hemolytic, meaning they completely lyse red blood cells, while several other studies have found just the opposite. In the April issue of the journal Infection and Immunity, NIDCR grantees report that the answer might fall somewhere in between. The scientist found that the bacterium's hemolytic ability varied with the choice of growth medium employed in the laboratory. Interestingly, when beta hemolysis was detected, it was conferred by the bacterium's much studied leukotoxin, suggesting the protein kills white and red blood cells alike. According to the authors, their findings could have "important diagnostic significance." They explain that because most diagnostic laboratories tend to use the same standardized growth medium and because most microbiology manuals already list A. actinomycetemcomitans as lacking beta hemolytic ability, the bacterium's role in systemic disease may go undetected and thus be under reported. Based on their findings, the scientists propose taking a closer look at the bacterium's hemolytic ability, particularly the key role of its leukotoxin in the process. To read more about this study, visit http://iai.asm.org/...issue=4&resourcetype=HWCIT.

Study Links Alcohol Consumption to Premalignant Oral Lesions
When discussing oral cancer, dentists always mention the consumption of alcohol and tobacco products as increasing one's chances of developing a premalignant sore, or lesion, in the mouth. These words, however, are meant literally: Consuming alcohol and tobacco products in combination increase one's risk of developing an abnormal lesion. Far less well established in the medical literature is whether alcohol alone is an independent risk factor. In the April issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, NIDCR grantees and colleagues report the most substantial data yet that it is. After evaluating 41,458 participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a large, prospective cohort of American male health professionals - 58 percent of which are dentists - the scientists determined that alcohol was consistently associated with greater risk of premalignant oral lesions. They found the risk remained constant in their analyses, regardless of drinking frequency, proportion consumed with meals, type of beverage, or tobacco use history. In fact, the scientists found the association was strongest in those who had never used tobacco products, an indication that alcohol was an independent risk factor. To read more about this study, please visit cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/4/774.

Signaling Molecule May Help Fight Biofilm-Related Infections
Scientific discovery typically involves a timely convergence of information and, in the April issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a team of NIDCR grantees offer such an example in the battle against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections from bacteria laden catheters and often plays a role in causing endocarditis, osteomyelitis, toxic shock syndrome, and some skin disorders. This bacterial species is particularly problematic because it embeds itself within biofilms, or microbial communities, where it can avoid antimicrobial agents and/or develop resistance to them. A few years ago, basic scientists discovered that yeast can release a biochemical cell-to-cell signaling molecule called farnesol to communicate within their fungal communities. Subsequent work indicated that this fungal signaling molecule may naturally render certain bacteria less adept at forming mature biofilms. These results led the NIDCR grantees to evaluate in laboratory studies the effect of farnesol on both methicillin resistant and susceptible strains of S. aureus. Their results showed that farnesol inhibited biofilm formation and, when coupled with antimicrobial agents, demonstrated a synergy to reduce substantially the growth of S. aureus in the laboratory, particularly when this bacterial species was in its biofilm mode of growth. The authors concluded, "This observed sensitization of resistant strains to antimicrobials and the observed synergistic effect with gentamicin indicate a potential application for farnesol as an adjuvant therapeutic agent for the prevention of biofilm-related infections and promotion of drug resistance reversal." To read more about this study, visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...itool=pubmed_docsum. Interestingly, the researchers also were able to show, in an article soon to be published in the journal FEMS Yeast Research, that farnesol was able to reverse fluconazole resistance in the fungal strains of Candida albicans and Candida dubliensis.

First "Smart" Antimicrobial Reported
One of the problems with current antibiotics is they kill indiscriminately, numbering among their victims benign and/or beneficial species of bacteria that inhabit our mouths, gut, intestine, and other parts of the body where biofilms form. This less-than-optimal treatment outcome has led some scientists to ask whether it might be possible to create a new generation of antibiotics that selectively kills the bad bugs but leaves the good ones alone. In the April issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a team of scientists supported by NIDCR and dental industry sponsors report taking an important step forward in designing these so-called "smart" antimicrobials. The scientists successfully synthesized a chimeric, 36-amino-acid compound that specifically targets Pseudomonas species. It consists of a peptide that locks onto Pseudomonas species like a homing device on a missile and a second peptide that, once delivered, kills the bacteria. According to the authors, this marks the first synthetic, target-specific antimicrobial of its kind and lays the intellectual foundation for developing additional smart antimicriobials. To read more about this work, visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...itool=pubmed_docsum.

Early Oral Biofilm May Be More Variable Than Once Thought
Shortly after brushing our teeth, it starts again. Certain oral bacteria attach anew to the clean enamel and serve as the foundation upon which other bacteria touch down and develop into a larger, ecologically diverse oral biofilm. This everyday fact of oral microbiology has led some dental researchers to try and characterize these initial colonizers as potential therapeutic targets to control the formation of the oral biofilm and prevent tooth decay. In the April issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, NIDCR scientists suggest these first bacterial responders may be more variable than previously thought. Using molecular techniques that cast a much wider investigative net than previous studies, the scientists discovered most of the early colonizers varied strikingly from person to person. In fact, more than two thirds of the bacterial species identified were unique to each of the three people in the study. However, the scientists found 10 bacterial species were common in all three people, suggesting possible core strains that are highly adaptable and which are common members of early biofilms. The scientists also noted shifts over four to eight hours in the proportion of bacterial species present in the early biofilm. These changes may indicate that in some early biofilms, only a subset of the early colonizers predominate over time. To read more about this study, visit aem.asm.org/.../2837?view=long&pmid=16597990.

Children with Oral Clefts Show Pro-social Behavior with Peers

[Social Acceptance and Facial Behavior in Children with Oral Clefts; The Cleft Palate--Craniofacial Journal] 2006; Vol. 43(2): 58-68
Newswise -- Expecting downcast eyes and a general passive demeanor, researchers in a new study found instead that children with oral clefts made more eye contact and initiated more conversations than their peers without clefts. This pro-social behavior may represent a compensatory effect learned during early social interactions with peers, said the researchers. The study is published in the latest issue of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal.

The findings were not consistent with previous research conducted on this topic regarding children with oral clefts. Previous studies concluded that children with oral clefts tend to engage in more passive social behaviors. This change could be attributed to the studies’ different test locations. Another factor could be that less timid children with oral clefts willingly accepted the invitation to the study.

In testing, the only system available to distinguish facial expressions is based on studies of adults. To aid further studies, the researchers encourage the creation of a children’s developmental system, so that children’s facial expressions are more apparent and accurately measured.

To read the entire study, click here: www.allenpress.com/pdf/cpcj_43_309_226_236.pdf

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal is the bimonthly journal of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. For more information, visit www.cpcjournal.org.

Funding Opportunities

Effects of Long Term Use of Antiretroviral Therapy on the Oral Mucosa (R21)
(RFA-DE-07-001)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt Date(s): August 11, 2006
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DE-07-001.html

Pilot Studies: Oral Complications of Cancer Therapies (R21)
(PA-06-212)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-212.html

Pharmacogenetics of Fluoride (R01)
(PAR-06-214)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): May 15, 2006, 2007, 2008; September 15, 2006, 2007, 2008; January 15, 2007, 2008, 2009
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-06-214.html

Neurobiology Of Persistent Pain Mediated By The Trigeminal Nerve (R21)
(PAS-06-199)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-06-199.html

Ontogeny Of Host Innate Immune Recognition Of And Response To Oral Microbes (R01)
(RFA-DE-07-004)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt Date(s): August 14, 2006
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DE-07-004.html

NIDCR Exploratory and Developmental Grants in Clinical Research (R21)
(PAR-06-246)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-06-246.html

Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorders: Pathophysiological Mechanisms Linking Comorbid Conditions (R21)
(PA-06-268)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-268.html

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