Full Text of HR0600 94th General Assembly
HR0600 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, According to the Surgeon General's Report on "Oral | 3 |
| Health in America", most adult Americans suffer from | 4 |
| periodontal disease, sometimes called gum disease; it is one of | 5 |
| the most prevalent chronic diseases in America, yet it remains | 6 |
| what former Surgeon General David Satcher calls a "silent | 7 |
| epidemic"; and
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| WHEREAS, There remains an underutilization of safe and | 9 |
| effective means of preventing and treating periodontal disease | 10 |
| with new medical and dental innovations; as a result, millions | 11 |
| of Americans who have periodontal disease are unaware of it and | 12 |
| may be undertreated or not treated at all; and
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| WHEREAS, New studies suggest a link between periodontal | 14 |
| disease and other adverse health conditions, such as heart | 15 |
| attack, diabetes, stroke, and pre-term births; thus, there is a | 16 |
| need to educate and provide information to all Americans on | 17 |
| important oral health issues related to the prevention and | 18 |
| treatment of periodontal disease; and
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| WHEREAS, Beyond these conditions, untreated periodontal | 20 |
| disease exacts a strong psychological and economic toll; | 21 |
| studies have shown that people with compromised oral health | 22 |
| lack confidence, suffer from low self-esteem, and are less | 23 |
| likely to find work or be promoted; and
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| WHEREAS, The financial costs for ignoring periodontal | 25 |
| disease are severe; for individuals, businesses, and | 26 |
| government, the latter often bearing the burden of direct | 27 |
| medical costs for the consequences of periodontal disease; to | 28 |
| this are added the additional costs of work and school | 29 |
| absenteeism and lost productivity; and
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| WHEREAS, In consequence of the "silent epidemic" of |
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LRB094 13557 HSS 48421 r |
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| periodontal disease and all its attending dental, medical, | 2 |
| social, and economic conditions, a National Periodontal | 3 |
| Disease Coalition (NPDC) has been formed; the Coalition, with | 4 |
| membership drawn from the spectrum of communities of direct and | 5 |
| related interests across the private, public, and non-profit | 6 |
| sectors, will work to establish a forum for increasing the | 7 |
| public's awareness and understanding of periodontal disease | 8 |
| and new treatment methods; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 10 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 11 |
| we recognize and applaud the efforts of the National | 12 |
| Periodontal Disease Coalition for its commitment in making the | 13 |
| public aware of the dangers of periodontal disease; and be it | 14 |
| further | 15 |
| RESOLVED, That we strongly encourage citizens of Illinois | 16 |
| to be aware of the dangers of periodontal disease and to seek | 17 |
| proper treatment; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 |
| presented to the NPDC as an expression of our support in its | 20 |
| efforts.
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