SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 177

WHEREAS, Early Childhood Caries is the most common chronic disease among children, affecting more than half of elementary school students; and

WHEREAS, The effects of Early Childhood Caries are felt especially among children in low-income families, with 80 percent of the cases occurring in children at or below the poverty line, and with those children having nearly 12 times more restricted-activity days because of dental-related illnesses than children from higher-income families; in addition, fewer than one in five Medicaid-covered children receives even one preventive dental service per year; and

WHEREAS, The disease is detrimental to the health, life, and education of the thousands of children affected by it, and it is damaging to the education and health systems of the state, causing a tremendous drain on public funds; and

WHEREAS, Prevention is the key to combating Early Childhood Caries; by fostering dental-health awareness in the classroom, communities can help students understand how to avoid the disease, thereby improving their overall health and education; a reduction in the incidence of the disease will also lighten the burden on the state health care system, saving vast amounts of state funds and resources; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 80th Legislature, hereby recognize the first week of February 2007 as Operation Stop Decay Week in the public school systems of the Lone Star State. Hegar

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 5, 2007.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate