Although both caries (cavities) and periodontal (gum) disease are entirely preventable, disparities in oral health for American Indians and Alaska Natives are among the highest reported.
Our research is directly informed by the needs of the tribes with which we work, and Native consultants and colleagues are at the center of program development and delivery.
We emphasize behavioral and community-based strategies, since the prevention of chronic and infectious processes will always be dependent on individual factors involved in accessing and using health knowledge and clinical intervention.
In other words, we believe in prevention through empowerment. Consistent with the complexity of this approach, our faculty investigators represent more than a dozen academic and professional disciplines and also include individuals of Native background.
CNOHR approaches can be best understood through descriptions of the two major projects that began data collection in 2011.
CNOHR was established in 2008, with funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a division of National Institutes of Health (NIDCRU54DE019259).
Click here to read more about these projects.
Dr. Judith Albino (PhD) and Terence Batliner (DDS) serve as co-directors of CNOHR.