Partnerships key to successful dental and oral health research
We operate within a large health care system that includes dental providers and a fully integrated electronic health record system. Research is conducted in real-world dental settings and leverages electronic health record data to improve oral and general health. Our collaboration with investigators from various institutions with relevant expertise lets us employ a team science approach to our work.
Priority topics include:
- Clinical decision support
- Pragmatic clinical trials
- Practice-based research
- Pain management to reduce risk of chronic pain
- Dental quality measures
- Technology and innovative care delivery models to address health disparities
- Ways to leverage integrated medical and dental data systems
- Clinical, translational, and mechanistic studies to understand the drivers of dry mouth and improve quality of care
We are the administrative center for the Midwest Region of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, which is funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The network is a consortium of practices and dental organizations committed to advancing the knowledge of dental practice and finding ways to improve it. It is practical science for the benefit of real-world, everyday clinical practice.
We have established relationships with leading clinical and academic oral health research groups nationwide.
Through these collaborative efforts with experts and organizations, we actively contribute to the enhancement of both oral and overall health, making a lasting impact within the field of oral health research.
Learn about our Center for Oral Health Integration.
Investigators
Key projects
Dental Provider Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Study
Training dental providers to effectively promote the HPV Vaccine (HPV-V) with their patients could prevent future HPV-related cancers of the mouth and throat in those who become vaccinated. This study will develop HPV vaccination training to increase knowledge and skills, including tailored scripts to support dental providers in promoting vaccination. By testing this intervention in a real-world dental setting, this project has the potential to help increase HPV vaccination rates, reduce HPV-related cancers, and serve as a model for other organizations providing oral health care.
