Whereas, in 1948, Congress and President Harry S. Truman created the National Institute of Dental Research as a component of the National Institutes of Health (referred to in this preamble as NIH ), in response to an epidemic of tooth decay that adversely affected the oral health, overall health, and military readiness of the United States; Whereas, on October 21, 1998, Congress changed the name of the National Institute of Dental Research to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (referred to in this preamble as NIDCR ) to accurately reflect the support of NIDCR for both dental and craniofacial research; Whereas NIDCR is the primary dental, oral, and craniofacial biomedical and behavioral research and research training organization in the United States, advancing fundamental knowledge about dental, oral, and craniofacial health and disease, disease prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies to improve overall health for all individuals and communities across the lifespan; Whereas NIDCR is recognized by Congress, the NIH, oral health stakeholders, and the biomedical research community as a leader of the oral health research enterprise of the United States that supports research funding, management, and scientific training across the United States; Whereas NIDCR performs interdisciplinary research and translates results from the laboratory to the clinic, by means of scientific excellence in laboratory, clinical, behavioral, translational, and population-based programs in support of the mission of the NIH, which is the premier biomedical research agency in the world; Whereas NIDCR responds urgently to critical public health needs such as the COVID–19 pandemic, providing over $4,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 in grant supplements to study SARS–CoV–2, develop novel viral detection systems, and address critical needs of patients and oral health practitioners