Tracking dental implant outcomes across everyday dental practices
Official title: A Dental implant registry of treatment outcomes of implant therapy by practitioners in the National Dental Practice Based Research Network
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11250087 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project collects information from dentists about dental implants and any problems that happen so people with implants can get safer, more reliable care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2021 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $119,110 |
| NIH project number | 5UH3DE030090-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11250087 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have received one or more dental implants with prosthetic restorations from participating dentists in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without dental implants, or whose dentists are not part of the network, would be unlikely to participate or directly benefit.
What this research studies
You would be represented in a registry where your dentist records details about any implants, the prosthetic parts used, and any biological or prosthetic problems that occur. Dentists across the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network will contribute data aiming to include 2,000 implants with restorations. The project begins with a one-year planning phase to create recruitment and data-collection procedures, then continues enrolling implants and tracking outcomes over time. The registry data will be used to design future targeted studies and improve diagnosis-driven treatment choices.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this registry could help dentists identify common causes of implant problems and improve treatments to reduce complications.
How similar studies have gone: Smaller academic studies have documented peri-implant disease and prosthetic complications, but a large practice-based national registry is relatively new and intended to provide more real-world evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cunha-Cruz, Joana — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Cunha-Cruz, Joana
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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.