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.

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 136 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 136

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 11, 2003

Mr. Cantor submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

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 three to five times more
likely than other children to have untreated tooth decay;
Whereas dentists provide an estimated $1.7 billion annually in nonreimbursed
dental care;
Whereas dentists participating in the 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 one million
children on February 21, 2003, at approximately 5000 locations in all 50
States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(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 one million
children on February 21, 2003.
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