[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 182 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 182

  Congratulating the American Dental Association for establishing the 
 ``Give Kids a Smile'' program, emphasizing the need to improve access 
  to dental care for children, and thanking dentists for volunteering 
             their time to help provide needed dental care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2003

Ms. Stabenow submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Congratulating the American Dental Association for establishing the 
 ``Give Kids a Smile'' program, emphasizing the need to improve access 
  to dental care for children, and thanking dentists for volunteering 
             their time to help provide needed dental care.

Whereas access to dental care for children is a vital element of overall health 
        care and development;
Whereas dental caries--more commonly known as tooth decay--is the most common 
        chronic childhood disease;
Whereas untreated tooth decay in children 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 have untreated tooth decay;
Whereas dentists provide an estimated $1,700,000,000 annually in nonreimbursed 
        dental care;
Whereas dentists participating in the American Dental Association established 
        the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program to serve as a reminder to the Nation 
        about the need to end untreated childhood dental disease; and
Whereas the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program treated an estimated 1,000,000 
        children on February 21, 2003, at approximately 5,000 locations in all 
        50 States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates the American Dental Association for 
        establishing 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 who volunteered their 
        time and brought a smile to faces of an estimated 1,000,000 
        children on February 21, 2003.
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