May 7, 2012 Honorable Lamar Smith Chairman House Committee on the Judiciary 2138 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515 Honorable John Conyers, Jr. Ranking Member House Committee on the Judiciary B351 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Conyers: On behalf of our 157,000 member dentists, we are writing to express our support for the health-related provisions in H.R. 4970, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012. We are particularly pleased with Title V, which would promote advanced professional training to improve the health care systems assessment and response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Dentists are well positioned to identify signs of domestic abuse in their patients and facilitate help for those affected. 1 Over two-thirds of Americans visit a dentist at least once a year. 2 Dentists work around the head, mouth and neck areas, where signs of abuse may be seen. And most patients have positive views of their dentists and trust them. 3 Dentists who receive domestic violence education are significantly more likely to screen their patients for domestic violence and intervene. 4 H.R. 4970 would support such training by authorizing a series of grants for health care professionals to learn how to better identify, assess, treat, and refer clients who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. It would also expand research on effective health setting interventions for patients suspected of being abused and neglected. H.R. 4970 underscores one of the many ways dentists can contribute to the overall health of their patients. We urge you to retain Title V during your mark up of H.R. 4970 and forward it to the full House with a unanimous recommendation for passage. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Jennifer Fisher at 202-789-5164 or fisherj@ada.org. Sincerely,

William R. Calnon, D.D.S. President WRC:KTO:rjb

Kathleen T. OLoughlin, D.M.D., M.P.H. Executive Director

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Kathleen A. Shanel-Hogan, Lynn D. Mouden, Gulsun Gul Muftu, Jon R Roth, eds. [ca. 2005], Enhancing dental professionals' response to domestic violence (San Francisco, CA: Family Violence Prevention Fund, National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence). 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data: Visited the dentist or dental clinic within the past year for any reason. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008. 3 Dentists and the patients who love them: professional and patient views of dentistry, J Am Dent Assoc 125, no. 3 (1994): 265-272. 4 Candace Love, Barbara Gerbert, et al., Dentists attitudes and behaviors regarding domestic violence: The need for an effective response, J Am Dent Assoc 132, no. 1 (2001): 85-93.