Optimizing population oral health through integrating patient, provider, and population-based approaches

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The goal of this research program is to optimize population oral health through strengthening the scientific basis for innovations in population approaches to improving dental care access, utilization, and quality for all Americans. Mounting evidence suggests that oral and dental conditions in the US are largely attributed to population-specific differences in access to, utilization of, and the quality of oral health care services. These differences arise from system-wide interactions between biological, psychological, social, environmental, economic, policy, and other factors. While there is increasing awareness of these complexities, meaningful scientific progress and translation is stymied by the preponderance of investigations that maintain a focus on individual, single-level factors in isolation. This research program incorporates a framework that integrates multi-level perspectives and approaches (e.g., patient, provider, and population) to optimize oral and dental health, facilitated by the PI’s expertise as an epidemiologist and complex systems scientist. Specifically, the research program will generate novel data on US populations and employ methodologies to conduct innovative investigations situated at the intersections of dental care access, utilization, and quality. Findings will be leveraged to develop comprehensive, cost-effective policies and strategies to provide high-quality dental care and optimize oral health for all Americans.