The oral research component of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), since its inception in 1978, has been designed and conducted by the NIDR to evaluate the physiological and pathological factors that influence the oral health and function of individuals of different ages. The BLSA is a large longitudinal study with an open- panel design conducted by the National Institute on Aging to investigate a range of scientific hypotheses about the aging process. Human volunteers return periodically to the BLSA site to undergo multiple health assessments including the oral health evaluation made by Branch staff. The Division of Epidemiology and Oral Disease Prevention has broadened the scope of the oral research component to include studies of alveolar bone loss in the oral cavity, the detection and application of oral molecular biological markers for systemic disease, and an expanded periodontal evaluation implementing protein markers and DNA microbial probes for early disease detection. The DEODP is also working with the BLSA to increase minority enrollment thereby increasing the diversity of the study's population base. The implementation of these additional areas of investigation within the BLSA presents an opportunity to enhance the overall understanding of age-related changes in the oral cavity.
