A portion of the May 15 National Dental Practicebased Research Network meeting included brainstorming for potential research topics.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Research isn’t just for basic scientists. This national network allows practicing dentists to join in on the collective effort. By Jennifer E. Fuentes
When you put the numbers together, it just makes sense.
If you devise a research study that requires a sampling of 60 patients, and your practice sees an estimated 20 patients a year who fit the research criteria, chances are good that it will take at least three years to collect all the data you need. But what happens when the pool of dentists and dental hygienists gathering the data is broadened to, say, ten individuals instead of one?
That’s the crux of the reorganized and newly branded National Dental Practicebased Research Network — to collect data over a significantly shorter time span with research based at the dental practice, not a laboratory. It was made possible in April 2012 from a seven-year, $66.8 million grant awarded to the University of Alabama at Birmingham from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry participates in the Southwest
region, one of six that comprise the national network. The lead institution for the Southwest is the Dental School at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.
On May 15, TAMBCD faculty had a chance to hear about the network’s research opportunities firsthand from Dr. Thomas Oates, director of the Southwest region. It’s all part of a push to recruit members and explore study ideas. As of early June, the membership count in the region had climbed to approximately 725, just shy of its goal of 1,000 members.
Dental academicians and private-practice dentists and dental hygienists can choose from the network’s three available levels of participation: informational (receive PBRN correspondence), limited (complete surveys) and full (participate in clinical studies).
If all goes well, research studies will commence in late summer 2013. For more information or to enroll, visit www.nationaldentalpbrn.org.
During the May 15 meeting, Oates likened the push for membership to the sense of responsibility often associated with an election to public office: “If we’re not a player, if we’re not a part of this network, our constituency won’t be represented, and the needs of our community won’t be represented,” says Oates, who is also assistant dean for clinical research at the San Antonio dental school.
“It’s an opportunity to give back to the profession and the community,” Oates says. “We want to be able to make sure we provide the best care. That’s a very strong driver for why people want to join.” n
Jennifer Eure Fuentes is a communications specialist at Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry. A 2006 graduate of Texas Christian University, she has worked in the communications and editorial field for seven years.
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