Better access to high‑quality dental care for all Americans
Official title: Optimizing population oral health through integrating patient, provider, and population-based approaches
Funded at Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah · NIH-11365236 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant aims to improve how dental care is accessed and used across the population by combining patient experiences, provider input, and population data.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project start | September 13, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2032 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,000,248 |
| NIH project number | 5R35DE034352-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11365236 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include diverse U.S. populations experiencing disparities in dental access, utilization, and quality, as represented in large-scale population data.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals with stable, readily accessible dental care may not directly benefit from changes targeted at population-level barriers.
What this research studies
The project uses a multi-level framework to study how biological, psychological, social, environmental, and policy factors together influence dental health and access to care in the U.S. It plans to collect and analyze data from diverse populations to understand gaps in access, utilization, and quality of dental services. By integrating patient, provider, and population perspectives, the work seeks to identify cost-effective policies and strategies that can improve overall oral health for all Americans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could inform policies and practices that make high-quality dental care more accessible and better used by diverse communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown that multi-level, population-focused approaches can reveal actionable barriers and inform effective policy changes in health care.
Where this research is happening
-
Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
Salt Lake City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heaton, Brenda — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Heaton, Brenda
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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-
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-
Understanding dry mouth in adults using AI to read electronic records
A new project uses AI to find adults with xerostomia in medical records and predict who will have worse oral health outcomes.
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Oral health effects of buprenorphine and methadone in people with opioid use disorder
This project will explore how common MOUD medicines like buprenorphine (including dissolvable forms) and methadone may affect oral health in people with opioid use disorder.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.