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Oral Health Research Very Important to Public: June 6, 2000 Press Release Last week Research!America released a national poll assessing public attitudes concerning oral health, dental insurance and oral health research. 85% of those polled by Harris Interactive indicate that they consider oral health to be very important to their overall health. In addition, more than half said that if the goal of doubling the amount of government support for biomedical research is achieved, they would want to see the amount directed for oral health research increased by at least this amount. Dr. D. Walter Cohen, President of the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), notes, "The results of this poll, together with the recently released Surgeon General’s report on oral health identifying scientific research as key to further improvements in the nation’s oral health, provide compelling evidence that Americans not only need more research on oral and craniofacial health, they want it funded" The Friends of the NIDCR, a coalition of patient advocacy organizations, dental schools, dental societies and industry, calls on Congress and the Administration to approve the 15% increase in funding for NIDCR proposed by the House and Senate FY 2001 budget. This increase in funding will be a step towards improving oral health for all Americans. Background: The Friends of the NIDCR (http://www.fnidcr.org) is a broad based coalition that supports the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). The Friends promote the critical importance of dental, oral and craniofacial health to the well-being of society. |