; (3) launched the Research and Action Program to Improve the Oral Health of Older Americans and Other Adults at High Risk; (4) established the first regional Dental Practice-Based Research Network, to investigate pressing clinical issues, including the association between bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw, and methods for treating cracked teeth and tooth hypersensitivity; and (5) launched the FaceBase Consortium to compile the biological instructions to build the human face and define the genetics underlying developmental disorders such as cleft lip and palate; Whereas NIDCR— (1) opened the first multidisciplinary pain clinic devoted exclusively to research; (2) established major initiatives to support cutting-edge research on temporomandibular disorders (referred to in this preamble as TMDs ); (3) sponsored a technology assessment conference on the management of TMDs; (4) launched the Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment clinical study to examine risk factors that contribute to the development of TMDs; (5) cosponsored the consensus study entitled Temporomandibular Disorders: Priorities for Research and Care to help inform approaches to advancing TMDs research and guide the development of evidence-based treatment and clinical management of patients with TMDs; (6) established a TMD Multi-Council Working Group to develop a roadmap to strengthen the understanding of TMDs; and (7) launched the national TMD Collaborative for Improving Patient-Centered Translational Research to advance research, training, and improved clinical care; Whereas NIDCR sponsored a variety of scientific conferences, including Face of a Child, the first national, multidisciplinary meeting on children and oral health, and a consensus development conference, Dental Implants—Benefit and Risk, to examine available data, suggest future research, and draft guidelines for implant therapy