#nidcr

[historyatnih]

Seventy years ago, Dr. H. Trendley Dean became the first director of the newly created National Institute of Dental Research, now the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.  

Standardized dental hand tools were an innovation when Dean trained as a dentist.  These instruments from Dean’s collection were mass-produced based on designs by Dr. Greene Vardiman Black.  A tool’s numbers refer to its cutting edge, blade, and angle. A final number, from 1 to 102, identifies the instrument’s place in the tool set.

Learn more about Dean https://bit.ly/2HambC6

[historyatnih]

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, we’re taking a walk down memory lane this month.

Did you know that during World War II, nearly 9% of recruits – thousands of young men -- did not qualify for military service because they did not have six opposing teeth, the minimum requirement?  The U.S. Army had to fix recruits’ teeth at dental clinics such as this one at Camp Livingston, Louisiana.  To address this problem, Congress supported legislation to create a federal dental research agency.  

On June 24, 1948, President Harry Truman signed Public Law 755, which created the National Institute of Dental Research, now the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.  The bill was introduced by Walter Brehm, a dentist and Congressional representative from Ohio.

Watching Truman are, left to right:  C. Willard Camalier, Assistant Secretary, American Dental Association; Congressman Walter E. Brehm; H.B. Washburn, President of the American Dental Association; Bruce Forsyth, Chief Dental Officer, Public Health Service; Carl Flagstad, Chairman, Legislative Committee, American Dental Association; Daniel F. Lynch, President-elect, American Dental Association; and H. Trendley Dean, Director, NIDR.

[historyatnih]

Photo archivists enjoy coming across unknown or forgotten photos and placing them in context. Here local educators visited the National Institutes of Health to learn about the latest techniques in cutting edge medicine such as the Reynier germ-free isolate, used to raise mice in a germ-free environment.  There were approximately 50 Reynier isolators in use at NIH in 1967 for research including infection and immunity studies, nutrition studies into beneficial intestinal bacteria, and dental studies of bacteria and tooth decay.

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[smbalaji]

Dr Rena D’ Souza appointed as Director, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute of Health (NIH), USA Dr. Rena D’Souza has been selected as the Director of the NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). She is a renowned researcher in the fields of craniofacial development, genetics, tooth development and regenerative dental medicine. Dr. Rena D’Souza, who is also a past President of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), is currently the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Education for Health Sciences at the University of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Of note, she has collaborated with Dr SM Balaji on numerous research projects regarding improving treatment modalities for children afflicted by craniofacial deformities. Her research projects with Dr. SM Balaji have seen her visit our hospital on many occasions, interacting closely with children who were undergoing treatment at our hospital. These research projects have resulted in improvements in craniofacial surgical techniques, which have been adopted as standard surgical protocol by surgeons today. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-names-dr-rena-dsouza-director-national-institute-dental-craniofacial-research https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/august/dr-rena-dsouza-named-next-nidcr-director #nih #usa #nidcr #iadr #saltlakecity #drsmbalaji #smbalaji #balajidental #maxillofacialsurgeon #maxillofacialsurgery #india #chennai #tamilnadu (at USA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD3kG8og-fh/?igshid=r5qzgxyu4y87

[historyatnih]

The awkwardly named “Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999”, became law today in 1998.  The act had some far-reaching results for the NIH.  The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was created (now called the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health); the National Institute of Dental Research had “and Craniofacial” added to its name; and two new NIH buildings were named after retiring members of Congress. Building 50 was named for Louis Stokes, and Building 40 was named the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center.

[historyatnih]

An artificial version of the “basement” membranes that form the foundation for a large number of tissues was developed by scientists in the Laboratory of Developmental Biology, National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR), now the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).Institute scientists, including Dr. Hynda Kleinman, developed the product, which is now sold commercially and used in research laboratories around the world..   Artificial basement membranes have been used in a variety of cellular and molecular studies, including research on the mechanisms of cancer tumor progression and metastasis. Kleinman used artificial basement membranes in her studies of estrogen’s effects on blood vessel development, for which she won the Women in Science and Engineering Award in 1993.  

Learn more about NIDCR https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/ which has been advancing the nation's oral health through research and innovation for 70 years.

[historyatnih]

Open wide!  In 1937–38, Drs. Henry Klein, Carroll Palmer, and John Knutson of the NIH Children’s Health Division developed the DMF (Decayed, Missing, and Filled) Index to assess the prevalence of dental caries. The DMF Index was subsequently used by researchers at the National Institute of Dental Research, now the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), to survey our nation’s oral health. NIDCR, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, still supports surveillance research to monitor the oral health of the nation, now through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm

[historyatnih]

Why did the National Institute of Dental Research become the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in 1998? Because NIDCR scientists also conduct studies related to the structure of the face, neck, and head as well as the teeth.  For example, this 3D-printed model skull displays hemifacial microsomia, where the lower half of one side of the face does not grow normally, affecting the jaw and ear.  It was created for NIDCR’s current clinical director, Dr. Janice Lee, who is studying the optimal techniques and  timing of   surgeries to repair conditions such as these.  See what else NIDCR intramural scientists are studying now https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/intramural-research-areas