Alexandria, Va., USA – Today, the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) published a special editorial titled “IADR-Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Agenda®: An IADR Board Call to Action.” The key objective of the IADR-Global Oral Health Inequalities: The Research Agenda (IADR-GOHIRA®) is to articulate a research agenda to generate the evidence for a strategy that if properly implemented will reduce inequalities in oral health within a generation. The editorial, by lead author Harold Sgan-Cohen, Hebrew University-Hadassah, is published in the IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research.
While there have been major improvements in oral health in the last 30 years, with research leading to remarkable advances in the prevention and treatment of disease, inequalities remain and a marked social gradient in oral health is seen similar to that in general health. Global inequalities in oral health persist both, between and within different regions and societies; and they undermine the fabric, productivity and quality of life of many of the world's peoples.
IADR recognizes that to date there has been limited success in translating research into effective action to promote global oral health and eliminate inequalities. It is increasingly apparent that addressing this challenge will require closer and more robust engagement across sectors, including social policy, and the adoption of an upstream approach that integrates action on oral health with approaches to reduce the global burden of non-communicable disease in general.
The essence of the present Call to Action is to focus the attention of international leaders in oral health research on this issue. IADR is committed to accepting a scientific, social and moral leadership role in achieving this goal.
The special editorial provides more background about the IADR-GOHIRA and it outlines the IADR-GOHIRA research priorities, the overall aim, and the outcome priorities and timeline for implementation.
"The IADR Board of Directors is pleased the IADR-GOHIRA effort has captured the imagination of the global health research community,” said IADR President Mary MacDougall. “We look forward to stimulating the research needed to reduce oral health inequalities."
Visit http://jdr.sagepub.com/content/early/recent to read the complete editorial or contact Ingrid L. Thomas at [email protected] to request the PDF.
About the Journal of Dental Research
The IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease.
About the International Association for Dental Research
The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with more than 12,000 individual members worldwide, dedicated to: (1) advancing research and increasing knowledge to improve oral health, (2) supporting the oral health research community, and (3) facilitating the communication and application of research findings for the improvement of oral health worldwide. To learn more, visit www.iadr.org. The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is the largest Division of IADR, with nearly 4,000 members in the United States. To learn more, visit www.aadronline.com.
