[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 369 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 369

 Congratulating the American Dental Association for sponsoring the 4th 
  annual ``Give Kids a Smile'' program, which emphasizes 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

                            February 7, 2006

Ms. Stabenow (for herself, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Cochran, and Mr. Feingold) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Congratulating the American Dental Association for sponsoring the 4th 
  annual ``Give Kids a Smile'' program, which emphasizes 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 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 experience and suffer from untreated tooth decay;
Whereas dentists provide an estimated $1,700,000,000 annually in non-reimbursed 
        dental care;
Whereas nearly 11,000 dentists provided approximately $33,000,000 of free care 
        to almost 500,000 children in the 3rd annual ``Give Kids a Smile'' 
        program held on February 4, 2005;
Whereas the participation of dentists in the 4th annual ``Give Kids a Smile'' 
        program, established and sponsored by the American Dental Association 
        and held on February 3, 2006, serves to remind people in the United 
        States about the need to end untreated childhood dental disease; and
Whereas the generous support of numerous corporations, such as Crest Healthy 
        Smiles, Sullivan-Schein Dental, and DEXIS Digital X-ray Systems, helps 
        make the ``Give Kids a Smile'' program a success: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates the American Dental Association for 
        establishing and continuing its sponsorship of 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, dental hygienists, 
        dental assistants, and others who volunteered their time to 
        bring a smile to the faces of hundreds of thousands of children 
        on February 3, 2006.
                                 <all>