The purpose of this Quick Poll was to evaluate Network participants’ perceptions regarding the impact of National Dental PBRN participation on various aspects of their clinical and business outcomes including clinical decision-making, internal and external relations, organizational culture, and risk management.
Ashley Spencer, BSPH and Node Coordinator for the Southwest region, was awarded a Best Poster Presentation at the 13th Annual Frontiers of Translational Science Research Day, hosted by the Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA), in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) Research Centers in Minority Institutions and Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Dr. Sandra Japuntich was joined by Dr. David Louis, a general dentist from Eden Prairie, MN, Dr. Paul Pentel, a physician at Hennepin Healthcare, MN, and Dr. Brad Rindal, a general dentist and researcher at HealthPartners and the Network node director for the midwest region, in a panel discussion about smoke cessation and the FreSH study.
The findings of this Quick Poll indicate a vast majority of dentists have at least one or more Sjögren’s Syndrome (SjS) patients in their practices. Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) is a multisystem autoimmune disease which manifests as dryness of the mouth and eyes, fatigue, and joint pain. With an incidence of 0.5% to 1.0%, it is the second most common systemic autoimmune disorder in the US.
Highlights
About half of the 533 respondents (52%) were familiar with the Deep Margin Elevation technique and 148 had used it (28%).
Most practitioners would restore function by placing a “Core + Full Crown or Onlay” (63%)
Practitioners were evenly split concerning the clinical indication/use of crown lengthening and about one-third (35%) would do root canal therapy.
The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network, founded and hosted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, is now home to the nation’s first dental implant registry.
The results from this cross-sectional study were recently published in JADA, and we interviewed Dr. M. Marianne Jurasic, the study principal investigator, for our blog. Dr. Jurasic is the Director of the Center for Clinical Research as well as a Clinical Professor of General Dentistry and Health Policy and Health Services Research at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. “Treating teeth with deep carious lesions with a more conservative approach such as selective caries removal has the potential to extend the longevity of the tooth and affect a patient’s oral health and quality of life. I therefore wanted to know to what extent this more conservative approach to caries management has been adopted by Network dentists.”
“Being a member of the network gives me a fresh outlook on dentistry. I believe it cuts down on burnout. To be involved in practice-based research network makes the daily practice more interesting to be involved in the studies. Plus, I think it provides so real life, real practice information that is helpful for the research that is being done. My patients always have a positive attitude about being participants. We have not had many people decline participation.”
2022 was another productive year for our network! Recall that our over-arching goal is to improve the nation’s oral health by improving the knowledge base for everyday clinical decision-making and moving the latest evidence into routine care.
