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First in a series of nationwide town halls highlights value of oral health research The Friends of the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) and the University of Maryland Dental School held a town hall forum to highlight the benefits of oral health research funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). The town hall, "Bringing Oral Research Home," was held Monday, April 25, 2011, at the University of Maryland Dental School (UMDS), the world's first dental school.
"We are taking the message of 'oral health research matters' to where it matters most—our hometowns," said Friends of NIDCR President Dr. Bruce Donoff, dean, Harvard University School of Dental Medicine. "Oral health research impacts our lives in many beneficial ways. It has led to breakthroughs in the way we diagnose diseases ranging from heart attacks to oral cancer, and research is an economic driver that creates and sustains jobs in the community."
The two-hour forum included presentations from UMDS research grantees, an eye-opening panel discussion and remarks from the NIDCR Acting Director and the President of the University of Maryland. University of Maryland, Baltimore President Jay A. Perman, MD, commended the exceptional research projects conducted at the dental school. "I'm proud to say that this dental school is ranked seventh among all dental schools in terms of total NIH support," Perman remarked.
The organization funds more than 30 studies involving practice-based dental research (PBRN), which discovers answers to pivotal questions posed by oral health practitioners. NIDCR-funded research also "contributes evidence to change public policy" and "creates new tools and technology to accelerate discovery" like new oral cancer screening regimens. She informed the group that 80% of NIDCR funding goes out to institutions for research. Research Enhances Patient CareAs dean of the host dental school, Dr. Stohler was proud to have three of his dental school researchers explain how their specific NIDCR-funded research enhances patient care. The most senior research presenter Ronald Dubner, DDS, PhD, professor, Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, spoke on "The Multidimensional Sensory Experience of Pain: Its Persistence and Modulation." He explained that "complex chronic pain conditions, including temporomandibular disorders, (TMD) often exhibit enhanced responses to painful stimulation (hyperalgesia) that persist in the apparent absence of signs of injury." In addition, "the amplification and persistence of the pain can spread to distant sites. Based on animal studies, it is now commonly proposed that the initiation of the pain amplification is dependent upon activation of peripheral nociceptors, ion channels and chemical mediators and the search for treatments for chronic pain in humans has focused mainly on these targets. Our recent studies suggest that although peripheral drive is sufficient for the initiation of the enhanced pain responses, it is not sufficient for its maintenance or chronicity. Dubner, a former researcher at NIDCR, also noted that the "Central nervous system modulatory mechanisms play a dominant role. These central sites should be targeted for analgesic development in future translational studies." Mary Ann Jabra-Rizk, PhD, UMDS assistant professor, presented "Complex Oral Biofilms: Answers to Health and Disease." She explained that "the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus and the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans are among the leading pathogens in bloodstream and hospital-acquired infections." Dr. Jabra-Rizk noted that "most infections caused by these diverse organisms are biofilm-associated due to their ability to adhere to a variety of surfaces causing persistent and chronic infections. And more importantly, C. albicans and S. aureus are often co-isolated from wounds, mucosal surfaces and various sites in the host." "Based on extensive preliminary findings from in vitro and in vivo studies, this project aims to demonstrate that these organisms interact in the host as they co-exist on mucosal surfaces with significant impact on their pathogenic potential and the infectious process." The findings generated from this project will aid in the design of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at combating fungal-bacterial polymicrobial infections. Huakun "Hockin" Xu, PhD, UMDS professor and director, Division of Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering, and the youngest of the researchers, discussed "Stem Cells and Nanostructured Biomaterials for Dental Tissue Engineering." The main focus of the presentation was on novel biomaterial-stem cell constructs for bone tissue engineering, as well as antibacterial dental nanocomposites to inhibit caries and increase the longevity of restorations. Dr. Xu noted that "Stem cells and tissue engineering offer immense promise to millions of patients suffering from debilitating diseases. The need for bone regeneration arises due to skeletal diseases, congenital malformations, trauma and tumor resections, with musculoskeletal conditions costing the USA $200 billion annually." For tooth cavity restorations, secondary caries at the restoration margins is a main reason for failure. "The replacement of failed restorations accounts for 50-70% of all restorations performed, with replacement dentistry costing $5 billion annually in the USA." A very entertaining panel discussion was held at the end of the Town Hall "Imperatives to Eliminate Health Disparities," and moderated by Dushanka Kleinman, DDS, MScD, associate dean, Research & Academic Affairs, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park.
Some points of concern noted by the panelists were that less and less dentists are getting involved in seeing children under the age of three and 150 million people in the USA do not have dental insurance. There are a complexity of issues driven by multiple and overlapping factors to be embraced for a multi-factorial solution. A UMDS study of adults in Baltimore found that only 34% knew that smoking could lead to oral disease. "It is important to realize that it takes a team to answer these really vexing problems of health disparities," concluded Dr. Garcia. The event was co-sponsored by DENTSPLY. To view video of the event, Click here Photos provided by The University of Maryland Dental School.
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