The Oral Biology Department has a rich history of accomplishments, but the Faculty must invest in facility renovations and recruitment of new researchers to reaffirm its position of prominence in biomedical research.
New laboratory facilities and faculty will be targeted to complement existing areas of strength providing “niche” foci and competitive advantage. The development of new partnerships between the departments of Oral Biology and Human Ecology provides great potential for new knowledge and discovery requiring an investment in joint research initiatives.
This partnership will enable new investigations of the linkage between oral health and nutrition. It is already known that nutrition has an impact on tooth decay, periodontal disease and wound healing. Most recently, there has been information regarding the effects of nutrition on oral and systemic inflammation providing a potential mechanism for the relationship between periodontal disease and many chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Compounds called neutraceuticals have been found to be present in some foods and may be effective in treating many of the complications of chronic inflammatory diseases.
The Oral Biology Research initiative will help the Faculty of Dentistry maintain its position as a leader in research and play an important role in achieving the goals of the Drive for Top Five.
