RE: Research Centers to Reduce Oral Hea lth Disparities

[Guest guest]

Subject: NIDCR FUNDS CENTERS FOR RESEARCH TO REDUCE ORAL HEALTH

DISPARITIES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

NIH NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 1, 2001

Contact:

Daum and Jody Dove

(301) 594-7559/7558

NIDCR FUNDS CENTERS FOR RESEARCH TO REDUCE ORAL HEALTH

DISPARITIES

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

(NIDCR) today announced that it is stepping up the effort

to address disparities in our nation's health by funding

five new Centers for Research To Reduce Oral Health

Disparities. The centers, which are the first step in

implementing the Institute's strategic plan for eradicating

health disparities

(http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/health_disp.asp), will

identify factors contributing to oral health disparities

and develop and test strategies for eliminating them. Each

center also will provide training and career development

opportunities for scientists in underrepresented groups and

others interested in establishing careers in oral health

disparities research.

In partnership with the National Center on Minority Health

and Health Disparities, NIDCR will provide approximately $7

million per year over a seven-year period to support the

centers through cooperative agreements. The new centers-

at Boston University, New York University, the University

of California at San Francisco, the University of Michigan,

and the University of Washington-will focus on a wide

variety of populations at risk for oral health disparities.

They will partner with other academic health centers, state

and local health agencies, community and migrant health

centers, and institutions that serve targeted patient

populations.

" The centers represent a cornerstone of NIDCR's efforts to

redress oral health disparities, " said NIDCR Director Dr.

Lawrence Tabak. " More needs to be done, however, and we

are working to identify the remaining gaps and the best

ways to fill them. Our overall efforts have been markedly

strengthened by our partnership with the National Center on

Minority Health and Health Disparities and the wise counsel

of its director, Dr. Ruffin. "

The need for the centers is underscored by findings

reported in the first-ever Surgeon General's Report on Oral

Health, released in May 2000

(http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sgr/oralhealth.asp). The report

identified a " silent epidemic " of dental and oral diseases

that disproportionately burden the nation's poor,

especially children and the elderly, as well as members of

minority racial and ethnic groups. People with disabilities

or complex health problems also are at greater risk for

oral diseases that can, in turn, further complicate their

health. The new centers will address concerns raised in

the Surgeon General's report, and also will help meet the

goals of the " Healthy People 2010 " initiative, the national

effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services that aims to improve the health of all

Americans and eliminate disparities in health

(http://www.health.gov/healthypeople).

" Our partnership with NIDCR has been longstanding and very

productive, " said Dr. Ruffin, Director of the National

Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and its

predecessor, the Office of Research on Minority Health.

" We are so pleased to join in the promising efforts of the

NIDCR by helping to support these centers, which create new

opportunities to reduce and ultimately eliminate oral

health disparities. They will play a key role across the

nation in conducting the research and research training

that will establish a solid foundation for future

progress. "

NORTHEAST CENTER FOR RESEARCH TO REDUCE ORAL HEALTH

DISPARITIES

(BOSTON UNIVERSITY)

Despite progress in reducing dental caries, tooth decay

remains one of the most common diseases of childhood,

particularly among poor children and children from minority

racial and ethnic groups. The Northeast Center for

Research To Reduce Oral Health Disparities, headed by Dr.

at Boston University School of Dental Medicine,

will focus on reducing early childhood caries. Researchers

at the center will examine the effects of tooth decay on

the quality of life of low-income African American, Asian,

Hispanic, and white children, and determine whether severe

caries can slow growth. Additionally, investigators will

determine the best ways to involve pediatricians in

reducing early childhood caries. They also will conduct

studies of children and caregivers from the various racial

and ethnic groups to learn more about the oral microbes

that trigger tooth decay and how they are transmitted.

The center is a collaborative effort involving Harvard

University, The Forsyth Institute in Boston, the Children's

National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and Boston

Medical Center.

THE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ORAL CANCER RESEARCH FOR ADOLESCENT

AND ADULT HEALTH PROMOTION CENTER

(NEW YORK UNIVERSITY)

Oral cancer, like many diseases, continues to take a

disproportionate toll on minorities. African American

males suffer the highest incidence of any group in the U.S.

mainland. Puerto Rican males residing in Puerto Rico also

have a high incidence of the disease. Failure to diagnose

oral cancers in their earliest stages is probably the

greatest factor contributing to poor treatment outcome.

The New York University center, headed by Dr. Ralph Katz,

will determine why minorities do not get oral cancer exams

that might pick up the earliest signs of the disease.

Specifically, they will look at differences in willingness

to participate in cancer screening exams among African

Americans, Puerto Ricans residing in Puerto Rico, Puerto

Ricans residing in the U.S. mainland, and whites. The

researchers also will look for ways to alter behavior to

reduce risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use.

Collaborating with the New York University center are

Boston University, University, the s Hopkins

University, the University of Pittsburgh, Tuskegee

University, the University of Alabama, the University of

Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Health Department, and

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

CENTER ADDRESSING DISPARITIES IN CHILDREN'S ORAL HEALTH

(UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO)

The primary focus of this center, directed by Dr. Jane

Weintraub of UCSF, is the prevention of early childhood

caries, particularly among Mexican-, African-, Chinese-,

and Filipino-Americans and low-socioeconomic-status whites.

Researchers at the UCSF center will explore factors such as

cultural attitudes and other barriers that may prevent

parents and caregivers from taking their young children to

the dentist. Such knowledge may then be used to influence

the development of public policy to reduce these barriers.

The researchers also will use individual, community, and

statewide data to determine what risk factors most likely

lead to early childhood caries to help identify susceptible

children. Finally, they will conduct clinical trials to

test two interventions to prevent dental disease. The

effectiveness of fluoride varnish painted on children's

teeth is being evaluated at two diverse sites in San

Francisco-the San Francisco General Hospital Family

Dental Center and the Chinatown Public Health Center. An

additional study evaluates a combination of preventive oral

care methods for pregnant women, their infants, and

toddlers who live on the U.S.-Mexican border.

Collaborating with UCSF are the San Francisco Department of

Public Health, the San Ysidro Community Health Center, a

model health care center located near the U.S.-Mexican

border, and 12 other agencies and institutions along the

West coast.

(UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN)

The Detroit Center for Research on Oral Health Disparities

will work with a Detroit community of low-income African

American children and their primary caregivers to promote

oral health and reduce disparities. Investigators will

seek to answer the question: Why do some low-income African

American children and their caregivers have better oral

health than others from their same community? The

researchers will look at the influence of cultural,

biological, and dietary factors on oral health status.

Using this information, they will develop an educational

campaign targeted at the community to improve oral health.

Additionally, the center will evaluate whether children's

access to dental services improves when Medicaid is managed like private

health insurance.

The Detroit Center for Research on Oral Health Disparities,

under the leadership of Dr. Amid Ismail, consists of the

University of Michigan's Schools of Dentistry, Public

Health, Social Work, and Medicine, the Institute for Social

Research, and the University of Detroit-Mercy. Additional

collaborators are the Detroit Department of Health, and the

Voices of Detroit Initiative, funded by the Kellogg

Foundation.

THE NORTHWEST/ALASKA CENTER TO REDUCE ORAL HEALTH

DISPARITIES

(UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON)

The Northwest/Alaska center will address the needs of poor,

minority, and rural children and their caregivers. These

groups include Alaska Natives, Native Americans from the

Yakima Indian Nation, Hispanic migrant farm workers,

African Americans and Hispanics from the local military

bases, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders served by urban

hospitals, as well as rural and low-income whites.

Researchers will examine why, within some minority

populations, individuals are afraid to go to the dentist,

and whether parents and caregivers may be passing on

cultural beliefs that lead to dental fear. The researchers

will use culturally appropriate approaches to talk about

dental fear and will create long-distance learning programs

to help people overcome their fear. In other research,

scientists will test the theory that there are natural

antibodies in epithelial cells lining the mouth that

protect against dental caries. They will work with caries-

prone children to determine if these children experience a

breakdown in such antibody protection.

The Northwest/Alaska Center To Reduce Oral Health

Disparities, directed by Dr. Milgrom, represents a

collaborative effort of the University of Washington School

of Dentistry with the UW School of Medicine and Heritage

College, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the

Yukon-Koskokwim Native Health Corporation, the Yakima

Valley Farm Workers Clinic, the Northwest Portland Area

Indian Health Board, the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology

Center, Washington Dental Services Foundation, and the

Medical Assistance Administration.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

and the National Center on Minority Health and Health

Disparities, which are funding the new centers on oral

health disparities, are components of the National

Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services. The NIDCR is the nation's leading supporter of

research on oral, dental, and craniofacial health.

##