The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) and the AAE Foundation have announced the opening of the application process for up to $2.5 million in funding to be awarded for the investigation of regenerative endodontic treatment.
The goal is to obtain reliable evidence about the conditions under which pulpal regeneration occurs in patients. Applications are due by August 1, 2013, and the funding will be allocated to support one or more studies.
Regenerative endodontics is a revolutionary approach to managing and saving teeth with open apices that may otherwise be extracted, noted Avina Paranjpe, DDS, a member of the AAE Regenerative Endodontics Committee. The organization hopes to document pulpal regeneration and, ultimately, sponsor clinical research.
Examples of research that could be funded include studies on factors associated with pulpal regeneration such as patient and tooth characteristics, clinical history, or treatment methods. These studies need to build the evidence base to support regenerative endodontic therapy in clinical practice and may also aid in the design of future clinical trials to investigate the efficacy or effectiveness of pulpal regenerative treatment.
The AAE collects data on regenerative endodontics through its Regenerative Endodontics Database, where practitioners can submit information related to revascularization cases. This data is used in endodontic research, to assist in establishing treatment best practices, and to clarify future research initiatives for these cutting-edge therapies.
