This Notice encourages investigators with expertise and insights into this area of Dental Practice-Based Research to begin to consider applying for this new FOA.

In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in dental, oral, and craniofacial research will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.

Among the areas of research encouraged in this initiative are dental, oral, and craniofacial research research examining the mechanisms that underlie the effects of dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases and conditions, as well as research designed to improve the translation of existing knowledge of strategies for the prevention and treatment of dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases and conditions.This Notice encourages investigators who have expertise in and insights about conducting research within a DPBRN to begin to consider applying for this planned U19 FOA.

Practice-based research networks can generate important and timely information to guide the delivery of health care and improve patient outcomes. A DPBRN is a unique venue in which to conduct clinical research. It provides dental practitioners with an opportunity to propose or participate in research studies, conducted in participating dental offices with consenting patients. DPBRN studies draw on the experience and insight of practicing clinicians to help identify and frame research questions, which typically address issues faced by dental practitioners in the daily care of their patients. Because research is conducted in the real-world environment of dental practice, results have the potential to be readily accepted and adopted by practitioners and translated into daily practice. DPBRNs can support a variety of clinical studies to help expand and strengthen the profession’s evidence base and further refine care.

The main goals of this FOA are to efficiently conduct national oral health research studies in dental practices on topics of importance to practitioners and their patients, to provide evidence useful in daily patient care, and to facilitate the translation of research findings into clinical practice. It is expected that the DPBRN will continue work of the previous DPBRNs funded by NIDCR and will incorporate refinements based on published findings from the earlier phases.

The FOA described in this Notice will solicit applications for the national DPBRN Administrative and Resource Center, which will coordinate efforts of dental practitioners and their practices and clinics through a network structure and will maintain a geographically diverse network capable of reaching all interested participants. The DPBRN will develop and conduct multiple national oral health clinical studies, including clinical trials, during the project period.

The planned U19 FOA will include funds to support developmental/exploratory, pilot, and/or survey studies to be conducted in the DPBRN; a future FOA will solicit applications for investigator-initiated clinical observational studies and clinical trials to be conducted in the DPBRN.

Intent to publish a separate FOA for the national DPBRN Coordinating Center (U01) is described in a separate Notice for National Dental Practice-Based Research Network: Coordinating Center (NOT-DE-18-004). The PI for an application in response to this FOA may not be the PI for the companion application in response to the national DPBRN Coordinating Center FOA.