[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL RESEARCH

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                           HON. HENRY BONILLA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 15, 1998

  Mr. BONILLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the National Institute of Dental Research. NIDR was 
established in response to the deplorable oral health of our recruits 
during World War II. As the third oldest institute of the prestigious 
National Institutes of Health, NIDR was entrusted with a leadership 
role designed to improve and promote the oral health of the American 
people.
  In this capacity, NIDR supports biomedical and behavioral research in 
its laboratories and in public, private and academic research centers 
throughout the nation. The far-reaching results of these efforts have 
greatly improved the oral health status of the nation and reduced 
America's dental expenditures by $4 billion annually.
  While NIDR continues to support research to further understand and 
prevent conditions that lead to tooth loss, its focus has broadened 
over the years to embrace studies of the entire craniofacial-oral-
dental complex. Critical areas of investigation include infectious 
diseases, such as HIV/AIDS; inherited diseases; oral cancers; and 
autoimmune diseases. There is avid interest in studying tissue repair 
and regeneration and the interactive roles of various factors involved 
in the generation of craniofacial-oral-dental diseases.
  I commend the National Institute of Dental Research on its 
accomplishments over the past 50 years. I am confident that over the 
next 50 years, NIDR will continue to greatly improve America's oral 
health through its outstanding oral health research.

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