The Australian Government is investing nearly $4 million to drive groundbreaking oral health research that will benefit all Australians.
Administered through the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Targeted Call for Research: Oral Health Care in Australia 2024, the funding will support five research projects focused on oral health issues.
The projects aim to identify and address the gaps in how effective oral health interventions are developed and applied at a population level, including within health services. Based on the findings, the research could help ease pressure on the health system and lower costs over time.
Dr Tami Yap from the University of Melbourne will lead an initiative that aims to improve access to specialist oral cancer screening for Australian rural communities.
The project will use digital tools to upskill rural health teams to remove geographical barriers to mouth cancer screening and bridge the city-country divide by allowing specialists to make a diagnostic triage assessment of the patient from afar using digital health services.
Senior Aboriginal research officer from The University of Adelaide's Indigenous Oral Health Unit, Joanne Hedges, will lead a silver diamine fluoride intervention project to reduce oral health inequities and improve social and emotional wellbeing among Indigenous youth.
A silver diamine fluoride intervention is a simple, non-invasive dental treatment that involves applying a liquid solution of silver and fluoride to a tooth to stop the progression of tooth decay. This means the tooth decay can be treated without the need for a wait for a dentist to visit a remote community.
The research findings could change how the oral health of Indigenous children and young people is managed. It could also lead to cost savings on dental treatments as well as improved wellbeing, nutrition, and social and learning outcomes. This could lead to improved quality of life for children, young people and the wider Indigenous community.
Full details of the researchers and projects funded are available to download on NHMRC's outcomes of funding rounds page.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"This funding is an investment into the healthy smiles of all Australians.
"These important research projects could reduce the incidence, prevalence and effects of oral health issues and reduce inequalities in oral health status across the Australian population."
Quotes attributable to NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh:
"A Targeted Call for Research is a one-off funding opportunity designed to address critical gaps in health knowledge, directing research efforts where they're needed most.
"Oral health research is a crucial part of health and medical research, aiming to improve care, treatments and services within the primary health care setting.
"The research funded today will expand Australian research capacity and will build a strong evidence base for targeted interventions that address oral health issues among our population and the health system generally - congratulations to all successful grant recipients."
