DOC Patient Health & Epidemiology Program
Overview
The Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial (DOC) Patient Health and Epidemiology Program focuses on advancing prevention, diagnosis, and clinical management of DOC diseases and conditions. This program supports rigorous applied study designs, statistical analyses, and methodology development with a high potential to impact patient and population health. Examples of supported research include:
- Evaluating methods to prevent, detect, and manage DOC diseases in relation to other local, regional, or systemic conditions or treatments, such as local or systemic oncologic therapies
- Conducting observational comparative safety and effectiveness studies of two or more prevention, diagnostic, or treatment strategies, or in two or more patient groups with chronic conditions
- Analyzing existing data from clinical practice, trials, or observational studies to answer new hypotheses relevant to DOC health, including the economic impact of DOC disease prevention and treatment strategies
- Characterizing risk and protective factors and pathways for clinical development or progression of DOC conditions
- Clinically validating methodologies or biomarkers to accurately and consistently measure DOC disease onset and progression, such as head and neck cancers and their sequelae
- Assessing accuracy, replicability, and impact of interprofessional screening, early detection, and diagnostic workup for medical or DOC conditions or environmental exposures
- Developing and assessing the feasibility of clinical decision support systems
- Designing and implementing observational research studies, such as prospective cohort or natural history studies, of DOC conditions or DOC-related injuries
- Clinical research on antiretroviral therapy (ART)-associated oral complications and pathologies related to HIV/AIDS and co-morbidities
Related Resources
Staff Contact
Program Officer
Clinical Research & Epidemiology Program
Acting Program Officer
HIV/AIDS & Oral Health Research Program