February 12, 2024
- May 7, 2020 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-195.
- May 5, 2020 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-185.
- May 5, 2020 - NIH Research Project Grant (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required). See NOFO PA-20-184.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to encourage research on the interplay of nutrition/food insecurity, oral diseases, and comprehensive health across the life span. The purpose of this NOSI is to support research to better understand the mechanisms of the tri-directional relationship among nutrition, systemic health, and oral, dental, and craniofacial (DOC) health and the development of nutritional interventions in the dental setting.
Diet-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. One in 10 Americans have type 2 diabetes. More than 4 in 10 Americans have hypertension, which is linked to heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death for Americans. Diseases related to poor nutrition and food insecurity are largely preventable conditions.
Because the mouth is the entryway for foods and fluids, any changes in the oral cavity, including tooth loss and caries, can skew food choices toward carbohydrates and foods with low nutritional value, thus further negatively affecting oral and systemic health. Diabetes exacerbates periodontal disease and delays wound healing. Mid-pregnancy maternal vitamin D deficiencies have been associated with enamel hypoplasia in children, which increases susceptibility to dental caries. Sweetened beverage intake is strongly associated with tooth decay and tooth loss in US children. Parents and caregivers play a role in preventing and controlling childhood dental caries through oral hygiene practices and healthy food choices. Individuals from rural, lower socioeconomic, and minority populations have a higher incidence of oral diseases, which ultimately impacts food intake and nutrition. However, the interplay among oral health, nutrition, and comprehensive health is still poorly understood. Pillar 5 of the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health recognizes the public health need to advance research regarding the prevention and treatment of diet-related diseases including the tri-directional relationship among oral health, nutrition, and comprehensive health.
Specific Areas of Interest
This NOSI encourages studies addressing the relationship among oral health, nutrition, and comprehensive health. Research areas of interest include but are not limited to, the following:
- Elucidating oral conditions that impact the ability to maintain a healthy diet, thus affecting therapeutic/surgical responsiveness, healing, and susceptibility to infection or disease progression
- Oral diseases associated with aging (caries, periodontal disease, tooth loss and replacement)
- Developmental craniofacial disorders (e.g., cleft lip and palate, craniofacial microsomia, craniosynostosis, Treacher Collins syndrome)
- Salivary dysfunction in patients with Sjögren’s Disease, polypharmacy (elderly)
- Oral complications in patients undergoing radiation/chemotherapy or myelosuppressive therapy (mucositis/stomatitis, xerostomia, infection, taste alterations, tooth loss)
- Neurologic conditions (stroke, multiple sclerosis) impact on oral health and nutrition
- Elucidating dietary influences affecting comprehensive health through effects on the oral microbiome
- Understanding the mechanisms involved in proper nutrition for optimal growth, maturation, and maintenance of the DOC hard tissues
- Developing and assessing feasibility/acceptability of nutritional behavioral interventions in the dental setting
- Developing and assessing feasibility/acceptability of nutritional health screening and referral to treatment or services in the dental settings
Application and Submission Information
This notice applies to due dates on or after June 5, 2024, and subsequent receipt dates through September 8, 2027.
Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) or any reissues of these announcements through the expiration date of this notice.
- PA-20-185 NIH Research Project Grant Parent R01 (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- PA-20-184 Research Project Grant (R01 Basic Experimental studies with Humans Required)
- PA-20-195 NIH Exploratory/Development Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the NOFO used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:
- For funding consideration, applicants must include "NOT-DE-23-005" (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
Investigators proposing research that meets the NIH definition of clinical trials are strongly advised to use NOT-DE-21-014 for NIDCR's guidance on applications for investigator-initiated clinical trials.
Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.
Please direct all inquiries to the Scientific/Research, Peer Review, and Financial/Grants Management contacts in Section VII of the listed notice of funding opportunity.
Scientific/Research Contact
Margaret Grisius, DDS
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Telephone: 301-451-5096
Email: margaret.grisius@nih.gov
Peer Review Contact(s)
Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).
Financial/Grants Management Contact
Gabriel Hidalgo, MBA
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Telephone: 301-827-4630
Email: gabriel.hidalgo@nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
