Research

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry has a well-established framework of research priorities for conducting research in a wide variety of fields to improve the oral health of children. The department's research focuses across themes such as:

  • pediatric oral health disparities
  • oral health care in medicine
  • pharmacological behavior management

The department is currently involved in research in areas of child health services research, pediatric sedation and anesthesia, infant oral health and early childhood caries, and clinical studies. Faculty, residents and dental students are all actively involved in interdisciplinary research projects. The department and its faculty, residents and students have been the recipients of several institutional, state, and federal grants and awards.

More specifically, current ongoing studies examine health care disparities in the oral health delivered to low-income young children, preventive infant oral health care in medical settings and cost effectiveness studies of publicly financed programs.

Residents will have the opportunity to work with faculty researchers within the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, other clinical departments, basic biomedical science researchers in the Philips Institute for Oral Health Research, and the Oral Health Services Research Core.