Project Good Oral Health

A Research Alliance

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Good Oral Health: A Long Term Program of oral health research and health promotion addressing oral health disparities in older adults and adults with disabilities.

There are marked disparities in oral health of people with limited incomes in the U.S., especially those who are older, or coping with disabilities. These disparities are first and foremost a result of financial, and other barriers to good dental/oral care. They also arise from gaps in access to information about good oral health self-management and myths and misunderstandings about oral health, oral disease and proper self care. These gaps are widely recognized and significantly under-researched.   Institute for Community Research, the UCONN School of Dental Medicine and the North Central Area Agency on Aging, and other organizations in Connecticut concerned about the oral health of older adults and those with disabilities have formed an alliance to mount a long term research program of national significance that will partner with older adults, and clinics serving them, to conduct research of national importance, to address these gaps and reduce disparities.   In accordance with recommendations of the Institute of Medicine, and AHRQ, and the missions of the Institute for Community Research, the UCONN School of Dental Medicine and the North Central Area Agency on Aging, our research program will be built and based on full collaboration with older adult partners of diverse racial/ethnic, educational and ability backgrounds.

Building a long term community based research program to address gaps in oral health requires:

  1. Building research infrastructure in and with the older adult/disabilities community and organizations serving this population.
  2. Expanding links between dental and medical students, residents and practitioners and community based research efforts with community residents and partner clinics
  3. Developing older adult advocacy and research teams
  4. Developing collaborative studies that address significant problems identified by older adults and researchers
  5. Linking oral health to broader health issues
  6. Expanding a vertical alliance that can use the results of research to advocate for policy changes in oral health and dental care funding
  7. Publishing and disseminating the results of studies
  8. Providing educational resources and materials to the public including vulnerable older adults and people with disabilities, service providers and scientists.
  9. Improving and enhancing oral health training for dental, residency programs, medical students and continuing education focused on vulnerable older populations
  10. Contributing to national models of collaboration between communities and universities in oral health research and health promotion