In June, Dr. Marie Ussing Nylen became Director of Intramural Research and NIH's first woman scientific director. A native of Denmark, Nylen first came to NIDR in 1949. Nylen pioneered electron microscopy of tooth enamel, made foundational observations regarding dental structure and development, and according to colleagues, "made pathways for similarly interested young women to follow."

During the 1960s sociologist Lois Cohen pioneered dental social science at the Public Health Service. Cohen took over Institute's fledgling program in 1976, applying social science research to the evaluation of NIDR's research programs and the production of its long-range plans. NIDCR-sponsored studies continue to explore fluoride skepticism, public aversion to dentistry, and practitioner resistance to disease diagnosis.

Seymour Kreshover led the NIDR intramural program before becoming director in 1966. Kreshover introduced developmental biology, facial anomalies, and oral medicine into both intramural and extramural programs, and brought timely attention to autoimmune and allergic disease, pain and anesthesiology, and social science and behavioral research. Kreshover launched the National Caries Program, furthering the Institute's initial public health mission, and retired in 1975.

In December, scientists and clinicians gathered in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to discuss craniofacial disorders, particularly cleft lip and palate, which are still among the most common birth defects. Funded by NIDR's first grant for the multidisciplinary study of cleft palate, the conference touched off a new research field and creation of university-based NIDR-funded cleft lip and palate interdisciplinary programs.

In 1960, NIDR intramural scientists Robert J. Fitzgerald and Paul Keyes published a Journal of the American Dental Association article entitled "Demonstration of the Etiologic Role of Streptococci in Experimental Caries in the Hamster." One of the most influential in the history of dental research, the paper demonstrated that tooth decay was both infectious and transmissible.

In a 1964 paper in the Archives of Oral Biology, intramural researchers Harold Jordan and Paul Keyes published the results of experiments confirming that given a particular diet, a bacteria found in plaque would cause periodontal disease. Subsequent research identified the bacteria, Odontomyces viscous, and detected its presence in humans.

NIDR scientists led the field of connective tissue research during the 1960s and 1970s. In February 1971, a team led by Dr. George Martin announced the discovery of soluble collagen, or procollagen, which gives rise to collagen, the protein forming skin, bone, and connective tissue in the entire human body.

David Scott was among the first NIDR staffers and an early expert in electromicroscopy. After a stint in academia, Scott became NIDR director in 1976. Scott extended the Institute's fledgling social and behavioral research program and promoted research in virology, oral cancer, and mineralized tissue. Scott also spearheaded creation of the Clinical Investigation and Patient Care Branch integrating research and treatment. He retired in 1981.

In 1971 Congress funded the National Caries Program (NCP), a joint intramural and extramural effort to combat tooth decay on multiple fronts ranging from testing sugar substitutes to applying dental sealants. In 1983, after completing landmark clinical trials, school and community-based demonstrations, and a survey of caries in schoolchildren, the program was integrated into NIDR's regular structure.

On June 24, President Truman signed the National Dental Research Act. The measure was inspired by revelations that more than 20 percent of wartime inductees could not meet baseline dental requirements and concerns about a postwar shortage of dentists. The act was supported by influential proponents in the American Dental Association and in Congress.