Research
Delta Dental Institute sponsors new oral health research from leading academic institutions
The Delta Dental Institute is sponsoring three new research awards to leading health research institutions: the Havard School of Dental Medicine, the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, and the University of Iowa. This funding is part of the Delta Dental Institute's continued efforts to invest in research that leads to actionable solutions for improved oral and overall health.
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Lead researcher Sung Eun Choi, SM, Ph.D., will evaluate the feasibility of policies to reduce disparities in oral health.
About the research
The study aims to conduct an economic evaluation of health care workforce-related policies that have promise for advancing access to care and thereby, oral health among vulnerable populations. Dr. Choi will develop a cost-effectiveness-based framework to estimate the impact of policies related to expanding National Health Service Corps loan repayment and scholarship programs on oral health care utilization and outcomes in underserved areas.
Findings
University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine
Lead researcher Tamanna Tiwari, MPH, MDS, BDS, conducted a critical review of the success and barriers in medical-dental collaboration models to inform future medical-dental collaboration strategies.
About the research
This research focuses on the relationship between overall health and oral health. Dr. Tiwari will evaluate patient-care delivery models that have integrated medical and dental care in a single model of care over the past 10 years. This project will assess the successes and barriers in using these types of care delivery models.
Findings
White paper: Medical-dental integration models: A critical review of the last decade
University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics
Lead researcher Leonardo Marchini, DDS, MSD, Ph.D., will assess the use of a mobile application (app) to improve oral health literacy and care provisions among caregivers of older adults.
About the research
Older adults, especially those in nursing homes, often lack access to high-quality dental care and rely on nurses and other caregivers to brush and care for their teeth. Many of these caregivers feel unequipped to help older adults care for their oral health. Dr. Marchini’s research will explore the use of a mobile app, GeriaDental, as a tool to inform and teach care providers how to help older adults with their oral health.
Findings
AADOCR Delta Dental Institute Oral Health Equity Research Award
The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the Delta Dental Institute (DDI) Oral Health Equity Award supports research that advances recommendations for greater oral health equity in populations that lack access to dental care or improves oral health literacy for underserved populations.
The 2025 recipients of the AADOCR DDI Oral Health Equity Research Award are Heidi Longi, DMD, and Jeri Bullock, DDS, University of Utah, and Kristin Hoeft, PhD, University of California.
A summary of each research project is featured below:
- Drs. Longi and Bullock will conduct research that evaluates the impact of integrating oral health services into the University of Utah West High School Clinic, a school-based health center serving the Salt Lake City School District.
- Dr. Hoeft will pursue research that assesses the implementation of teach-back education in the dental setting, including time, in order to develop best practices for its implementation and the design of a larger implementation and evaluation study.
Heidi Longi, DMD, and Jeri Bullock, DDS
University of Utah
Kristin Hoeft, PhD
University of California
The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the Delta Dental Institute (DDI) are proud to name Marvellous Akinlotan, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University and Jason Semprini, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, as the 2024 recipients of the AADOCR DDI Oral Health Equity Research Award.
This year, the Oral Health Equity Research Award will support two research awards of $25,000 each. A summary of each research project is featured below:
- Dr. Akinlotan will conduct research on the expansion of Medicaid dental benefits and its impact on emergency dental visits in both rural and urban areas and develop an understanding of the role that social determinants of health play in accessing care.
- Dr. Semprini will pursue research that evaluates the effect of Medicaid dental service access on oral cancer treatment and outcomes and aims to provide evidence on the importance of dental health services in cancer care.
Established in 2023 with generous support from the Delta Dental Institute, the Oral Health Equity Research Award supports research in the areas of 1) advancing recommendations for greater oral health equity in populations that lack access to dental care and 2) improving oral health literacy for underserved populations.
The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the Delta Dental Institute are proud to name Astha Singhal, PhD, Boston University Assistant Professor of Health Policy & Health Services Research and the team of Cameron Randall, PhD, University of Washington Assistant Professor, Oral Health Sciences, and Tamanna Tiwari, BDS, MDS, MPH, University of Colorado Assistant Professor of Community Dentistry & Population Health, as the inaugural recipients of the AADOCR Delta Dental Institute Oral Health Equity Research Award.
The Oral Health Equity Research Award supports two research awards in the areas of advancing recommendations for greater oral health equity in populations that lack access to dental care or improving oral health literacy for underserved populations.
The awardees are:
- Access & Equity Award – Dr. Singhal will conduct research centered on Medicaid adult dental benefits and racial/ethnic disparities in access to dental care among low-income women during pregnancy and postpartum periods.
- Oral Health Literacy Award – Drs. Randall and Tiwari will jointly pursue research identifying the relationships between acculturation, oral health literacy, and health behaviors in Hispanic parents.