Sidebar: Clinical Innovation for Better Oral Health

The NIDCR currently funds a broad array of clinical studies to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health:

• use of genetic analyses for prognosis and guided treatment of oral cancer;
• phase III trial to determine if treatment of periodontal disease improves glycemic control in type II diabetes;
• longitudinal study of young women to determine risk factors for the onset of temporomandibular muscle and joint disorders;
• community-based studies testing interventions to decrease the incidence and severity of early childhood caries in health disparities populations;
• determining the oral health of Hispanic populations enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study, conducted in four large U.S. cities;
• determination of the scope of HIV-related oral disease in the era of new generation HIV treatments;
• testing inexpensive topical therapies to manage oral candidiasis in resource-poor settings;
• studies evaluating the role of the autonomic nervous system in Sjögren's syndrome;
• phase III trial to determine the optimal timing for primary surgery of infants born with a cleft palate.