,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ahb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #ba1
 #bjac ,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself1 ,ms4  
,collins1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,franken1  
,mr4 ,harkin1 ,mr4 ,king1 and ,mr4      
,brown7 submitted the following         
resolution2 which was considered and    
agreed to  ,,resolution  ,congratulating
 the ,american ,dental ,hygienists'     
,association on the #ajjth anniversary  
of the profession of dental hygiene and 
commending its work to improve the oral 
health of the people of the ,united     
,states4  ,whereas the first dental     
hygiene education program was           
established in #aiac and early graduates
 worked in schools providing direct     
access to oral health care to school    
children2 ,whereas the ,american ,dental
 ,hygienists' ,association is the       
largest national organization           
representing the more than #aej1jjj     
licensed dental hygienists in the       
,united ,states2 ,whereas1 in order to  

become licensed as a dental hygienist1  
an individual must graduate from one of 
the #cce accredited dental hygiene      
education programs in the ,united       
,states and successfully complete a     
national written exam and a ,state or   
regional clinical exam2 ,whereas1       
according to the ,bureau of ,labor      
,statistics1 the dental hygiene         
profession is one of the fastest growing
 health care professions1 with          
employment of dental hygienists expected
 to grow #ch percent between #bjaj and  
#bjbj2 ,whereas dental hygienists are   
prevention specialists who understand   
how the connection between oral health  
and total health can prevent disease1   
treat problems while they are still     
manageable1 conserve critical health    
care dollars1 and save lives2 ,whereas  
new research continues to demonstrate   
that oral health is a vital element of  
overall health2 ,whereas dental caries  
7more commonly known as tooth decay7 are
 the single most common chronic disease 

of childhood1 #e times more common than 
asthma2 ,whereas nearly #dh1jjj1jjj     
people in the ,united ,states live in   
areas without enough dental             
practitioners2 ,whereas less than #dj   
percent of children enrolled in         
,medicaid receive at least one          
preventive dental service each year and 
this percentage varies widely among the 
,states2 ,whereas the ,department of    
,health and ,human ,services estimates  
that more than #i1jjj new dental        
practitioners are needed to address the 
dental workforce shortage in underserved
 areas2 ,whereas the ,american ,dental  
,hygienists' ,association represents1   
empowers1 develops1 and supports dental 
hygienists2 ,whereas the ,american      
,dental ,hygienists' ,association works 
to improve access to oral health care   
services1 which are essential to the    
health of the people of the ,united     
,states2 ,whereas the ,center for       
,lifelong ,learning of the ,american    
,dental ,hygienists' ,association seeks 

to advance the study of dental hygiene  
through educational opportunities2 and  
,whereas the ,american ,dental          
,hygienists' ,association advocates in  
support of ,federal oral health         
programs1 expanding access to care for  
underserved populations1 optimizing the 
dental workforce1 and maximizing        
coverage for oral health services3 ,now1
 therefore1 be it  ,that the ,senate--  
7#a7 congratulates the ,american ,dental
 ,hygienists' ,association on the #ajjth
 anniversary of the profession of dental
 hygiene2  7#b7 commends the ,american  
,dental ,hygienists' ,association for   
its work to improve the oral health of  
the people of the ,united ,states1 a    
fundamental part of overall health and  
well-being2  7#c7 recognizes dental     
hygienists across the ,united ,states   
who volunteer their time and resources  
to further their profession and to      
increase access to oral health care     
services2 and  7#d7 commends the dental 
hygiene profession on its centennial    

celebration4