Funded by the Largest Grant in UW School of Dentistry's History
SEATTLE, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington Dental Service, the University
of Washington School of Dentistry and the School of Dentistry at Oregon Health
Sciences University are partnering in a seven-year research project to expand
the evidence base in dentistry.
The studies are funded by two grants -- totaling $22 million -- awarded
the University of Washington by the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Washington Dental Service, a member of the Delta Dental Plans Association and
Washington state's leading dental benefits provider, will be providing 12
years of data on treatments from WDS member dentists as a critical part of the
research studies.
"Washington Dental Service is pleased to be playing a major role in this
significant practice-based research," said James D. Dwyer, president and CEO
of Washington Dental Service. "Employers will benefit from this collaboration
as WDS incorporates the outcomes of this research into our dental plans."
The grants will establish a 150-dentist network across five states --
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah. The network will be called
Northwest PRECEDENT, short for the Northwest Practice-based Research
Collaborative in Evidence-based Dentistry. The money will also cover the
development of a coordinating center to enroll patients in clinical studies
through local dentists' offices. Over the seven years, 15-20 clinical studies
will be conducted. Research topics will be suggested by the dentists
participating in the network.
Dentists in private practice will be involved in developing the research
questions, as well as doing all of the clinical treatment. Because the
research will include private practitioners in their own offices, adoption of
the study's findings should be accelerated.
"One of the unique strengths in our proposal was our relationship with
Washington Dental Service researchers and our access to the substantial body
of information in the Washington Dental Service dental data warehouse," said
Dr. Timothy DeRouen, the principal investigator and chair of the research
network. DeRouen is executive associate dean for research and administrative
affairs at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, and professor of
biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
"The significant repository of information on treatment patterns and their
effectiveness from the WDS data warehouse will be used to formulate relevant
questions, help establish protocols for the studies based on actual treatments
and assess the outcomes of different combinations of treatment," said Dr.
Martha Somerman, dean of the UW School of Dentistry.
Washington Dental Service, a founding member of the nationwide Delta
Dental Plans Association, is the state's leading dental insurance company,
covering more than 2 million people nationwide through employer-sponsored
dental programs. For 50 years, Washington Dental Service has been delivering
high-quality, health-centered dental care. For more information, visit the
Washington Dental Service Web site at http://www.DeltaDentalWA.com .
Delta Dental Plans Association, based in Oak Brook, IL, is a national
network of independent not-for-profit dental service corporations specializing
in providing dental benefits programs to 45 million Americans in more than
76,000 employee groups throughout the country.
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SOURCE Delta Dental Plans Association
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Related links:
http://www.DeltaDentalWA.com
CONTACT:
Kristin Merlo, Vice President, Marketing, of
Washington Dental Service, +1-206-528-2410, +1-800-572-7835, ext.
2410, kmerlo@DeltaDentalWA.com ; or Tina Valek, Senior Account
Manager, of Group Leaf, LLC, +1-651-430-1925, tina@groupleaf.com
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