Oral Health Initiative
National Oral Health Research Strategy: Setting Research Themes
The National Oral Health Research Strategy (NOHRS) is in the early stages of development, following initial launch discussions held in Ottawa, in March 2023. This preliminary meeting involved a small but representative group of 70 individuals from across the oral health research community, health researchers from other disciplines, professional bodies, and patient and public partners.
This initiative is led by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) in collaboration with Canadian Association for Dental Research, Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry, Network for Canadian Oral Health Research, Canadian Dental Association, Denturist Association of Canada, Canadian Dental Therapists Association and Canadian Dental Hygienists Association.
We are aware that many other people and organizations have expressed interest in the NOHRS process and are very grateful for this high level of engagement. The next step for co-creating the strategy is to consult more widely, in order to gain the broadest possible input. The pipeline to co-create the strategy involves a series of opportunities for broader engagement, culminating in the anticipated publication of the NOHRS in June 2024 at the Canadian Oral Health Summit in Halifax. It will be a living strategy, shaped by the oral health research community.
Feedback was collected on the research themes and priorities from the community to be reviewed by the Steering Committee. Following this, writing teams for each of the themes convened and developed the first draft document of the NOHRS. This is a draft document with visuals in the process of development. We are now in the second phase of collecting feedback from the wider community on this document until April 5th via the survey below. If you would like to request the document in a different format (e.g., Microsoft Word Doc), please email CIHR-IMHA via IMHA-IALA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
Access the first draft document of the NOHRS [ PDF (5.3 MB) - external link ].
Have your say via this survey.
Oral Health Data Platform
The Oral Health Data platform was funded in March 2021 and is supported by the following CIHR Institutes:
- Institute of Aging (IA)
- Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH)
- Institute of Gender and Health (IGH)
- Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD)
- Institute for Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA)
- Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH)
The Oral Health Data Platform has the overall goals of generating data, creating a database, and establishing a research and training infrastructure. These will enable oral health researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers to address essential oral health and oral health care-related research questions, facilitate knowledge translation and further knowledge exchange with appropriate stakeholders. The Oral Health Data Platform will build sustainable long-term capacity in oral health related research to improve the health of all Canadians.
This platform, created in collaboration with Statistics Canada through their Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), will add relevant and essential biological, clinical and self-report oral health data in Cycle 7 of the CHMS. This project will use Statistics Canada's existing research infrastructure and expertise to address oral health-related knowledge gaps, to explore links between oral and systemic health, and to establish a modern, world-class research platform to provide numerous opportunities for new research discoveries and training.
Data generated by the survey will be used to investigate important research questions around topics such as:
- Social determinants, inequalities and inequities in oral health and disease, oral health care and associated impacts across Canada
- The oral microbiome, oral inflammation and systemic health, including nutritional status
- The relationship between dental treatments and systemic health
Dr. Paul Allison, lead for this project, is a professor in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences at McGill University. He is a dentist trained in oral and maxillofacial surgery and dental public health, with research training in clinical and community epidemiology. He is a former President of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
For more information, please contact:
- CIHR-IMHA at imha-iala@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
- Dr. Paul Allison at paul.allison@mcgill.ca
NCOHR
The vision of the Network for Canadian Oral Health Research (NCOHR) is to be the primary resource for initiating, supporting, and sustaining innovative and collaborative oral health research designed to benefit the health of all Canadians. NCOHR links researchers from ten universities across Canada to promote mentorship of the next generation of oral health researchers; aid development of interdisciplinary research teams; enable sharing of research-related resources; guide development of sustainable infrastructure; and facilitate communication between and among knowledge creators and knowledge users. This network creates opportunities for oral health researchers to share ideas and resources so they can work together to continue to improve the oral health of Canadians.
More information on NCOHR's objectives and priority areas.
For more information, please contact:
- Dr. Ana Miriam Velly at ana.velly@mcgill.ca
- Iona Worden-Driscoll at iona.worden-driscoll@dal.ca
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