DEVELOPMENT OF A CENTER FOR ORAL INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS

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Chronic inflammatory disorders are one of the most pervasive health problems in America today, affecting the overall health and quality of life of millions of individuals. To deal with this problem, we propose to develop a Comprehensive Oral Research Center for Inflammatory Disorders, which will be to support a full range of research in the prevention and treatment of oral and systemic inflammatory diseases and disorders. The mission of this Center will be to improve the health of people suffering from chronic disabling inflammatory diseases, with an emphasis on the relationship between oral inflammation and general health. The Center will develop research programs that combine basic research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of oral and systemic inflammatory responses with translational and applied research on the clinical and behavioral consequences of inflammatory diseases and disorders on oral and systemic health. These programs will also support demonstration research and outreach activities for professionals and patients suffering from inflammatory disorders, and will enhance the training and education of health professionals and the public concerning health promotion and prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral and systemic inflammatory diseases. During the developmental phase, we propose to: 1) implement and refine an administrative structure for the Center, which consists of six interactive Workgroups which will function to facilitate the development and implementation of program initiatives; 2) to provide workshops designed to improve communication within and among the interactive Workgroups of the Center; 3) to identify and prioritize individual research projects that provide the most efficient and meaningful translation into public health benefit, and develop these individual research projects into center-wide research programs; and 4) to demonstrate the feasibility of the integration of thematic areas of research into program development within the Center on Inflammatory Disorders. The attainment of these objectives will result in the formation of a functional Center for Oral Inflammatory Disorders that supports a full range of program activities from discovery to public health application in the treatment of oral and systemic inflammatory diseases.