[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 56 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PRIMARY CARE DENTAL ACADEMIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 2, 2009

  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Primary Care 
Dental Academic Workforce Development Act of 2009.
  Dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S. 
and also one of the most preventable. More than one quarter of American 
children between the ages of 2 and 4, half of children between ages 6 
and 8, and nearly 60 percent of 15 year-old children suffer from dental 
decay. Despite this, schools of dentistry in the United States are 
experiencing difficulty in recruiting and retaining the expert faculty 
needed to train our nation's future dentists.
  A strong dental faculty is needed to recruit and train the dental 
students needed to provide exceptional dental care to our nation's 
children. Yet, the nation is currently experiencing a shortage of 
pediatric dental faculty. While pediatric dentists treat only about 30 
percent of children, they are responsible for training all of the 
dentists who treat children. A critical factor in this shortage is the 
staggering student loan debt and income disparity compared to private 
practice. The average graduating dental student loan debt was $158,104 
in 2006, yet faculty positions generally only provide a third of the 
income as a private practice which many would-be faculty simply cannot 
afford.
  Addressing the pediatric faculty shortage is especially critical for 
ensuring that children receive appropriate dental care from an early 
age and is absolutely essential in determining the quality of their 
oral health throughout their life. Further, the tragic death of 
Deamonte Driver in 2007 highlights that poor oral health can have 
tragic health outcomes, including death. Such tragedies should he 
avoided at all costs in the future.
  For these reasons, my colleague Representative Mike Simpson and I are 
introducing the Primary Care Dental Academic Workforce Development Act 
of 2009. This legislation would expand authority under the current 
Title VII pediatric and general dentistry program to allow these 
training programs to utilize these grants funds to support loan 
repayment for up to $250,000 over five years in order to recruit and 
retain faculty. This authority would significantly' assist in 
recruitment and retention of pediatric dentistry faculty. Currently, 
pediatric dentistry programs may apply for Title VII funding to expand 
or enhance training programs, but not for faculty loan repayment.
  Our nation's children deserve the best medical care that our nation 
has to offer. In order to provide this, we need to ensure we have the 
resources to train our health professionals. I am proud to introduce 
the Primary Care Dental Academic Workforce Development Act of 2009, and 
I urge your full consideration of this important legislation.

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