This Center for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health will focus on oral health concerns of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and will be known as the Center for Native Oral Health Research (CNOHR). The Principal Investigator is Judith E. N. Albino, PhD, President Emeritus of the University of Colorado and Professor, American Indian/Alaska Native Programs (AIANP) and Craniofacial Biology, and a health psychologist. She will lead the Research Program Administrative Center (RPAC). Dr. Spero Manson, PhD, Professor and Head, AIANP, and a medical anthropologist, will serve as Co-Investigator and lead the Community Liaison and Dissemination Core within RPAC. Biostatistician William Henderson, PhD, Professor, Colorado Health Outcomes Program, will lead the Statistics and Data Coordinating Center (S&DCC). CNOHR takes a comprehensive approach to oral health disparities in the long term, with an initial focus on oral infections and key roles of behavioral factors and comorbidities. The interdisciplinary team includes scientists trained in anthropology, biostatistics, dentistry, economics, medicine, psychology, and public health, supported by experienced project management and technology teams. The three initial projects focus on caries and periodontal disease, and intervene by extending current services and their use as well as adding prevention services and oral health promotion. The first Research Component (RC1) tests an intervention with pregnant women/mothers of newborns on a Northern Plains Reservation, which is focused on the use of motivational interviewing in prevention of ECC. RC2 is a randomized clinical trial of two methods for treating periodontal disease in Southwestern American Indians who also have Type 2 diabetes mellitus. RC3 is a test of a service delivery intervention in which tribal/community members are trained to apply fluoride varnish and deliver personalized oral health education for 3-5 year old children and their parents enrolled in reservation-based Indian Head Start programs. A Developmental Research Program will offer opportunities to pilot work suggested by new investigators, by community participation and planning activities, and by preliminary results of major projects. A focus on dissemination will include activities aimed at increasing community awareness and influencing health policy. Considerable prior experience with the participating tribes and communities has shaped the CNOHR methods and approaches, and ongoing community participation in planning will continue to influence the implementation of the RCs. A robust program of training and career development experiences will include mentoring and support for students at the secondary, undergraduate, professional and graduate, and post-doctoral levels, with emphasis on recruiting AI/AN investigators to oral health disparities research.
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