About the Office of the Clinical Director

Mission Statement

Oral health is a fundamental pillar of overall health and well-being and lies at the heart of the NIDCR Office of the Clinical Director’s mission and the Making America Healthy Again initiative. Through collaborative, multidisciplinary efforts, we translate cutting-edge research into innovative, patient-centered clinical care. We lead NIDCR’s intramural clinical research with unwavering ethics, operational excellence, and scientific rigor—delivering measurable improvements in health outcomes for all Americans.

Through our core components—the Dental Clinical Research Core, Dental Clinic Consult Services, Dental Clinical Research Fellowship Program, and Medical Credentialing Program—we advance cutting-edge diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic interventions. Our special focus on rare diseases helps ensure that no American is left behind in receiving quality oral care, while our discoveries and innovations translate to improved management of more common conditions as well.

We are committed to training the next generation of American clinician-scientists and facilitating groundbreaking clinical trials that enhance public and population health. By translating and sharing research findings with patients, providers, and communities nationwide, we aim to close knowledge gaps, build trust in science, and improve the oral health of the American people.

Vision Statement

We envision a future where oral health is recognized as a cornerstone of overall well-being, and every American continues to benefit as scientific breakthroughs are translated into clinical care as quickly as possible. The Office of the Clinical Director leads this charge—cultivating a vibrant community of trailblazing clinician-scientists empowered by innovation, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Through unwavering commitment to excellence, we will pioneer new treatments for rare and complex dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases, profoundly improving the health and lives of patients and families nationwide.

The Office achieves its mission through the following components:

• Dental Clinical Research Core: NIDCR conducts investigator-initiated clinical research to develop state-of-the-art diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic interventions for dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases. NIDCR Clinical Research Protocols emphasize rare diseases. The Office of the Clinical Director ensures that clinical research is ethical, efficient, and of high scientific quality.
• Dental Clinic Consult Services:  For patients enrolled in protocols at the NIH Clinical Center, the Dental Clinic and Consult Services offer oral evaluations and care by board-certified specialists who have the clinical expertise to manage and characterize diseases of the dental, oral, and craniofacial complex.
• Dental Clinical Research Fellowship Program: NIDCR is training the next generation of clinician-scientists in dental, oral, and craniofacial research.
• The Dental Clinical Resident Program: NIDCR is training the next generation of clinician-scientists in dental, oral, and craniofacial research.
• Clinical Operations Support: The Clinical Operations Support page provides a clear overview of the core services offered by the Office of the Clinical Director to support clinical, administrative, and research excellence at NIDCR.