ADA Praises U.S. Reps. Burgess and Towns for Introduction of Dental Emergency Responder Act

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Dental Association today commended Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Tex.) and Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) for introducing the Dental Emergency Responder Act (H.R. 570), a bill that would bolster the country's capacity to respond to natural disasters or terrorist attacks by taking advantage of dentists' extensive education, training and professionalism.

ADA President Raymond F. Gist, DDS, said, "This legislation would incorporate dentistry by name into federal and state disaster response frameworks, improving the nation's first-response infrastructure by deploying dentists during a natural or man-made disaster."

The bill calls for no new federal money and would pose no new restrictions on monies now being spent.  It would simply allow states, at their option, to incorporate dentists and dental facilities into their planning.

"Dentists are fully trained doctors," Dr. Gist said. "With proper preparatory training in disaster response they can be invaluable assets in the community response to both man-made and natural disasters."

About the American Dental Association

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 156,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org.

SOURCE American Dental Association

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