The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it will award research grants to 10 projects aimed at eliminating inequities in access to care and improving the oral health of children.
With more than $7 million in first-year funding, the awards will support the Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Research Consortium to Reduce Oral Health Disparities in Children, a new initiative of NIH's National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).
"By establishing this research consortium, NIDCR seeks to lead national efforts in reducing childhood oral health disparities," stated NIDCR Director Martha Somerman, DDS, PhD, in a press release. "Among the projects awarded are those that test innovative health promotion and disease prevention strategies and evaluate and refine existing programs and policies."
Three of the projects that will be funded for up to five years (pending available funds) are listed below:
- Integrating Interactive Parent Text Messaging and Oral Health Guidelines into Pediatric Community Health Centers to Reduce Early Childhood Caries
Principal investigators: Belinda Borrelli, PhD, and Michelle Henshaw, DDS, MPH, Boston University Medical Campus - Using Social Networks to Improve Oral Health
Principal Investigator: Raul Garcia, DMD, Boston University Medical Campus - Multi-Level Interventions to Reduce Caries Disparities in Primary Care Settings
Principal Investigator: Suchitra Nelson, PhD, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
For more information and to learn about the other seven projects that received a grant, visit the NIDCR's consortium Web page.
