National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Oral Health + Overall Health

NHANES provides nationally representative cross-sectional data, but we are lacking representative longitudinal data. Each generational cohort is very different in exposure to different disease risk and prevention factors, behaviors, and access to care.
For example, younger generations are much less likely to be edentulous than our current older generations. How will the oral health of baby boomers change as they... more »

You may feel a typical dentist is not equipped to provide HPV vaccines. But how about being part of the HPV conversation? Physician recommendation is the most important predictor of HPV vaccine uptake, and dentists see more infants/adolescents than any other physician in the US. In fact, 83% of children between 2 and 17 years visited a dentist at least once in 2013, which translates to 41 to 61 million children/adolescents.... more »

Orofacial pain including TMJ disorders, post herpetic neuralgia, migraine headache, masticatory musculoskeletal pain, cervical musculoskeletal pain, neurovascular pain, orofacial dystonia’s, and other neuropathic pain disorders, as well as, sleep disorders related to orofacial pain are the most prevalent orofacial health issue exceeding even the incidence of carious lesions in the adult population. But the pathophysiology... more »

Diet is a crucial player in oral and general health. Sugar and other carbohydrates plays a central role in the development of dental caries, the most prevalent human disease. But we still don't know if there is a threshold of sugar or other carbohydrates consumption that is detrimental for oral health. Also, is not clear yet the role of nutrition in other oral conditions as periodontal disease or oral cancer. Are some... more »

Oral diseases (as well as most other inflammatory diseases of the mucosae) are known to be triggered by the immunopathology resulting from the overabundance of particular combinations of species in the flora. There are now numerous microbiome studies of different inflammatory diseases, and it is becoming clear which species are associated with each of these diseases. However, extremely little is known about the mechanisms... more »

Research addressing the oral health of the aging population is urgently needed. The US “65-and-over population is projected to nearly double over the next three decades, from 48 million to 88 million by 2050” (National Institute of Aging). According to the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 25% of adults 75 and older were edentulous. NIDCR should prioritize research on the impact of aging on care... more »

Poor nutritional intake is a common dilemma for those who are unstably housed which adversely affects their dentition. For pregnant women in this population, poor dentition is even more of a concern as it has been associated with preterm birth and low infant birth weight. This research would have “Triple Aim” effects by improving the experience and quality of care, improving the health of homeless pregnant women (and... more »

It's time to stop referring to the 'interesting associations' between oral health and general health and state outright that oral inflammation is a contributing cause of diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Reducing inflammation substantially reduces health costs by reducing hospitalizations. Private insurers have known this AND acted on it for over a decade. Avalere has estimated that basic dental care can save... more »

Delay and avoidance of oral health care are public health problems affecting a significant portion of the global population, across developmental stages. In spite of technological advances in dental services, anxiety and fear remain a major determinant of avoidance of treatment that otherwise could prevent disease. Understanding behavioral mechanisms involved in avoidance due to fear and anxiety associated with pain... more »

While periodontal diseases are known to lead to many overall health problems, and a host of temporary "cures" are being practiced, little is known about how to prevent them from breaking out and/or frequent recurring. Many mouth wash and tooth pastes claim they can help, but are they really effective? Are they been identified so that some vaccine can be developed? Perhaps NIDCR can provide some clues leading to effective... more »

Since the 1960s, the sugar industry has suppressed research and information about the damaging effects of sugar and carbohydrates on oral and overall health. The dental profession was pressured to move the research focus away from sugar as the cause of dental disease and focus instead on oral hygiene. Because of that, large gaps exist in the research. It's time to put the research focus back on sugar, starting with... more »

Some members of the dental community have expressed concern that periodontal disease and dental caries do not receive adequate research funding. However in AADR’s view, this concern is not being inclusive of the basic research findings that can be applied to the understanding, prevention and treatment of these diseases even though the specific aims of the project do not directly address periodontal disease and dental... more »

Salivary constituents including oral microorganisms can reach the lower gastrointestinal tract. Saliva and oral microbes contain various enzymes. Some of those enzymes exhibit the ability to process food. Thus salivary constituents may affect the procession and absorption of the dietary components. The understanding of oral cavity components on food procession is lacking but important for understanding the relation between... more »

The trend of the world's people to more natural and holistic options is making the patients ask more about natural products that can be used for their oral routine. Oil Pulling is a technique used in Ayurveda from hundred of years ago and is becoming popular today. As Dental providers we should do more research about it to be able to have the answers to those questions the patients are demanding.

Bariatric Surgery, has been on the rises, after shown to be one of the effected ways to treat the morbidly obese people. Due to the metabolic, nutrition and dental considerations from the surgery. Oral health care professionals should look forward to caring for more bariatric patients.
Recommendation: Research, Training, and monitoring by the bariatric team including, the surgeon, the dietitian, mental health professional,... more »