Political Quotes

“I rise today to recognize June as National Oral Health Month. This month provides us an opportunity to reflect on the significant role oral health plays in overall health and to recommit our efforts to ensure that Americans have access to quality oral health care. While oral diseases alone contribute to negative outcomes, there are proven relationships between poor oral health and other medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, pneumonia, premature birth, and infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates economic productivity losses from oral diseases at $323 billion in 2022. Oral disease affects Americans of all ages. For children, dental cavities remain one of the most common chronic diseases. About one in four preschool children experienced caries in primary teeth and at least one in six children aged 6 to 11 years experienced dental cavities in permanent teeth. According to the CDC, 34 million school hours are lost each year--on average--because of emergency dental care. In Maryland, like many other States, we have witnessed firsthand the consequences of neglecting the oral health of young people. Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old Prince George's County resident, tragically died in 2007 due to a lack of comprehensive dental services. Deamonte's death was particularly heartbreaking because it was entirely preventable.…”