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Oral Health and Aging
When beginning your next investigator-initiated application, consider the following NIH highlighted topic. The area of science described below is of interest to the listed NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs). This is not a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
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Topic Description
Post Date: June 5, 2026
Expiration Date: June 5, 2028
Background and Scientific Context
Oral diseases represent a substantial public health burden in the United States. Oral health is increasingly recognized as an important component of overall health across the lifespan, with implications for aging-related systemic and chronic diseases. Oral diseases are highly prevalent in adults and increase in frequency and severity with age. Evidence demonstrates associations between poor oral health and oral diseases and a wide range of systemic and chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological conditions.
The oral cavity serves as a key interface between the external environment and the body. Oral bacteria and their byproducts can enter the circulation during routine activities, potentially reaching distant organs and tissues. Chronic oral inflammation, microbial translocation, and host immune responses have been proposed as pathways influencing systemic inflammation, vascular and metabolic function, and cellular aging, although the extent to which these processes play a direct causal role in human disease remains incompletely understood. Together, these pathways highlight oral health as a potentially modifiable risk factor for aging-related systemic and chronic diseases.
Despite well-documented associations, important scientific gaps remain, including incomplete understanding of causal and bidirectional relationships between oral health and systemic disease, limited longitudinal data integrating oral health with aging and systemic outcomes, and lack of harmonized oral health assessments across studies.
Areas of Interest (Examples)
Illustrative areas of inquiry include, but are not limited to:
- Relationships between oral health across the life course, including early-life exposures, and the development of aging-related systemic and chronic diseases.
- Biological, behavioral, and physiological pathways linking oral health with aging over time, including the role of the oral microbiome and inflammation in systemic health
- Social, behavioral, and healthcare-related factors influencing oral health and aging-related outcomes across the life course
- Integration of oral health measures into aging, chronic disease, and population-based research that captures life-course patterns
- Approaches to prevention and treatment of oral diseases with relevance to aging and systemic health
Participating ICOs
NIA is interested in research that advances understanding of how oral health and oral diseases contribute to accelerated aging, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). Of particular interest are studies that leverage expertise across different scientific disciplines.
Areas of Interest (Examples)
- Epidemiological and longitudinal studies linking oral health across the life course with aging trajectories, cognitive outcomes, and AD/ADRD, including effects of early-life exposures
- Research on causal and mechanistic links between oral health, aging biology, and brain health, including microbiome and immune pathways
- Clinical research examining whether prevention or treatment of oral health conditions influences cognitive decline and AD/ADRD
- Behavioral, social, and healthcare-related research on oral health behaviors and care delivery across the life course with relevance to aging and cognition
Maryam Ghaleh, M.A., Ph.D
[email protected]
NCI is interested in supporting research that advances understanding of how oral health and oral diseases contribute to cancer risk and approaches to cancer prevention.
Areas of Interest (Examples):
- Preclinical and epidemiological studies linking oral health across the life course with cancer risk, including effects of early-life exposures.
- Research on etiological causal links (e.g., role of the oral microbiome, pathogenic bacteria, chronic inflammation) between oral health/periodontal disease and cancer risk.
- Clinical research examining whether prevention or treatment of oral health conditions influence cancer risk or outcomes.
Naoko Ishibe, ScD
[email protected]
NIAID seeks research on how oral health/disease contribute to autoimmune and immune-mediated conditions and outcomes following organ transplantation across the lifespan, including conditions that increase with age.
Areas of Interest (Examples):
- Mechanistic studies on influence of oral disease on risk, phenotype, or progression of immune-mediated disorders across lifespan.
- Oral disease as a driver of autoimmunity, including links to systemic immune dysregulation and inflammation across lifespan.
- Mechanistic studies linking oral mucosal immunity and host–microbiome interactions with autoimmunity, inflammation, and respiratory and systemic infection.
- Studies testing whether oral disease interventions or modulation of oral immunity alters immune-mediated comorbidity across lifespan.
- Sex differences and hormonal influences on oral disease and immune function in older adults.
- Influence of prior oral or systemic inflammatory programming on oral health and immune aging.
Jeffrey Rice, Ph.D.
[email protected]
NIAMS is interested in research that advances understanding of how oral health and oral diseases contribute to arthritis (and other rheumatic), musculoskeletal, and skin diseases. Areas of Interest (Examples):
- Research on causal and mechanistic links between oral health and the development of NIAMS mission-related chronic diseases, including study of the microbiome and immune pathways
- Clinical research examining whether prevention or treatment of oral health conditions influences the onset, trajectory, outcomes, and/or flares of NIAMS mission-related chronic diseases
- Epidemiological and longitudinal studies linking oral health across the life course with NIAMS mission-related chronic diseases
Marie Mancini, Ph.D.
[email protected]
NIDCR seeks to address knowledge gaps in the basic biology and clinical relevance of age-associated changes in health and disease states of dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) tissues. Areas of emphasis include:
- Elucidating bidirectional mechanisms linking DOC and systemic health, including shared inflammatory pathways, immune modulation, and effects of chronic systemic conditions on oral tissues
- Characterizing aging-associated changes in oral microbiome homeostasis, host interactions (dental implants, polypharmacy and dry mouth in the elderly), DOC tissue remodeling, tissue healing, regeneration, and epigenetic regulation
- Identifying systemic biological, behavioral, and social network modifications that measurably improve oral health outcomes in aging populations
- Enhancing interprofessional care models to integrate oral and systemic health in the geriatric population
- Leveraging emerging technologies and data science to better understand and address age-associated DOC conditions
Preethi Chander, PhD
[email protected]
Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)
For this topic, ODP encourages applications that rigorously evaluate interventions and implementation strategies to improve screening for and prevention of oral health conditions across the lifespan. Outcomes of interest include reductions in dental caries, periodontal disease, tooth loss, and related comorbidities, as well as improvements in overall health, quality of life, and functional status.
Elizabeth L. Neilson, PhD, MPH, MSN
[email protected]
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