Western Dental, UCSF team up for preventive strategies

Western Dental and the University of California, San Francisco has announced a first-of-its-kind research collaboration agreement.

The research projects will study the need to improve access to oral health and seek to define optimal preventive strategies for at-risk children in California and the U.S., according to Western Dental. The scope of the project is expected to support changes in the delivery of preventive services and also support changes in funding and reimbursement to incentivize the delivery of preventive care.

Valerie Flaherman, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF and attending pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, will lead the series of projects on behalf of UCSF.

"As a practicing pediatrician, I am troubled by the extent of tooth decay among California's children," Dr. Flaherman stated in a press release. "Decay is especially prevalent among children from lower-income families, but there is little research to inform us how preventive interventions can address this problem most effectively. Working with Western Dental, we hope to determine how these interventions may be structured to improve overall oral health in children."