Oral Health Disparities Research Program

Oral, dental, and craniofacial conditions remain among the most common health problems across the lifespan. The conditions can be particularly prevalent and severe for individuals and communities that face economic or other barriers to health care. Dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral and pharyngeal cancer are of particular concern.

The Oral Health Disparities Research Program supports studies that:

• Investigate health determinants, their intersectionality, and mechanisms contributing to oral health disparities over the life course.
• Develop and test community-based intervention strategies to mitigate multilevel risk factors and barriers for promoting oral health for all.
• Explore approaches to the dissemination of evidence and implementation of evidence-based tools and interventions focused on addressing health determinants impacting the disproportionate burden of oral diseases and conditions in communities.
• Take a holistic, multilevel interventional approach to improve oral health care delivery systems and services to address social determinants of health.

Improving community outcomes requires multisector partnerships and meaningful engagement with affected communities at every stage of research, from idea generation to dissemination.