Inside Extramural: The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

 Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, D.D.S., Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

“Inside Extramural at the NIH Institute, Center, or Office (ICO)” is a new feature that gives ICOs a dedicated space to share updates on funding priorities, policies, initiatives, and resources relevant to their extramural research community. Check back regularly for insights and information to help you stay informed about developments across NIH. 

Message from the Acting Director, Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Amid the evolving scientific landscape at NIH, investigators have undoubtedly noticed changes in how institutes like NIDCR communicate and highlight research priorities. I recognize that many of you have questions, and I’ll use this opportunity to provide clarity on NIDCR’s areas of scientific interest. 

We remain committed to improving dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) health through exceptional and transformative science. Going forward, we are equally committed to keeping you informed on our efforts and providing the resources and guidance you need to continue doing your best science. Together, we will continue advancing NIDCR’s mission to improve oral and overall health for all.

Below, I’ll highlight ways you can stay up to date on new developments and activities at NIDCR.

Featured Research Priorities

Last year, NIH announced that it would sharpen its focus on a number of scientific priorities while continuing to support projects across the full spectrum of biomedical science. 

NIDCR is offering opportunities to address these newly highlighted priority areas while continuing to fund the full range of DOC science it has consistently supported. We have a longstanding track record of research that aligns with these priorities: 

• Chronic disease. Addressing chronic disease is a cornerstone of NIDCR’s mission. Much of our work focuses on understanding, treating, and preventing chronic DOC diseases, including tooth decay, periodontal disease, oropharyngeal cancer, craniofacial birth conditions, autoimmune conditions, and chronic pain conditions. Collectively, these DOC diseases affect hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. and often have bidirectional relationships with chronic diseases elsewhere in the body. 
   
• Nutrition. Malnutrition and poor nutritional intake can be contributing factors to and consequences of chronic DOC diseases, especially caries and periodontal disease. Optimal nutrition is hard to obtain without good oral health. NIDCR will continue to support research to understand how nutritional factors contribute to the development of DOC diseases; explore the tri-directional relationship among nutrition, systemic health, and DOC health; and advance nutrition-related strategies to treat and prevent chronic oral conditions.  
   
• New Approach Methodologies. While traditional animal models continue to be vital to scientific research, NIDCR has a longstanding interest in the development of alternative testing models. These include organoids and tissue chips that mimic DOC tissues, computational models to improve diagnosis and treatment of DOC diseases, and real-world human data collected at the community and population levels. 
   
• Real-world data network. NIDCR is working to ensure that DOC data is included in NIH’s real-world data network, which will link data from real-world sources to accelerate research on chronic diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders. NIDCR’s Data-Driven Science (DDS) Hub is a resource that offers real-world, summary-level DOC data, including population-level health data and human oral health data, for use in research. We also continue to support efforts to develop platforms that integrate medical, dental, personal, and other health-related data into electronic health records that have been consented for research. Also, long-running projects like the FaceBase data hub collect and publicly share diverse types of biological and clinical data to accelerate discoveries in craniofacial disorders (also discussed in this Nexus article).
   
• Solution-oriented approaches to health disparities. NIDCR has long prioritized research to reduce socioeconomic or other barriers to oral health care. For example, we support studies to provide oral health care in non-health care settings — through teledentistry, “dental-clinics-on-wheels,” schools, long-term care facilities, or workplaces — for populations with low access to traditional dental care. Toward implementation at scale and sustainable solutions, we are advancing the practice and science of community engagement in research. If you’re thinking of submitting a research proposal on DOC health disparities, consider the guidance in this Nexus article on preparing to reach out to an NIH program officer.  
   
• Training future biomedical scientists. NIDCR remains committed to nurturing future generations of DOC researchers and dentist-scientists who can address public health needs within an evolving landscape of science and technology advances. Our careers and training programs support Ph.D. and dual-degree D.D.S./D.M.D.-Ph.D. students; postdoctoral scholars; and early-career, mid-career, and established investigators.
   
• Artificial intelligence. NIDCR has long prioritized research to develop and implement AI and machine learning to improve diagnosis of craniofacial diseases, leverage biomedical data to answer scientific questions, and advance clinical translation of dental biomaterials discoveries. For example, a recent NIDCR-supported study used AI to scan 3D jaw images to predict development of temporomandibular disorders. Additionally, the DDS Hub I mentioned above provides AI-based analytic opportunities for dental studies and data.  
   
• Implementing advances in HIV/AIDS research. NIDCR continues to support studies to advance strategies to adopt and integrate evidence-based HIV and oral health practices and interventions to end the HIV epidemic.
   
• Rigor and reproducibility. We are strongly committed to strengthening the rigor, reproducibility, replicability, and transparency of DOC science. For example, we’re interested in developing optimal study designs and analytic approaches to minimize bias in studies, using systematic reviews and meta-analyses to synthesize evidence from DOC research, and innovative training to enhance rigor and reproducibility of our science. Learn more in the Highlighted Topics on enhancing rigor and science of science.

What We're Hearing from Our Community

Many of you have asked about the difference between “Highlighted Topics” and “Interest areas” — two new terms NIH is using to communicate scientific priorities. NIDCR lists its Highlighted Topics and Interest Areas on its profile page within the central NIH Grants and Funding website. 

• Interest Areas are broad, enduring descriptions of research areas NIDCR supports across its entire portfolio. NIDCR’s Interest Areas comprise the full range of scientific priorities  we have consistently supported. For more detailed descriptions of our Interest Areas, visit NIDCR’s Grant Programs pages and our 2021-2026 Strategic Plan.
• Highlighted Topics represent targeted, focused, and time-sensitive research priorities within an ICO’s broader research interests. For NIDCR, some of our high priority focus areas span nutrition, data science and AI, chronic disease, and enhancing scientific rigor and reproducibility. Highlighted Topics are not funding opportunities, but they can guide you toward areas of scientific interest. Please reach out to the identified NIDCR scientific contacts for further guidance.

For more on Highlighted Topics, visit these Nexus articles from April 2026 and June 2026 as well as these FAQs

Ways to Engage with NIDCR

• Join us at NIDCR’s National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council meeting on September 9, 2026. Watch this page for the agenda and details on how to attend.
• Help shape NIDCR’s future by submitting your feedback on the 2027-2031 NIDCR Strategic Plan by September 14, 2026.  Join one of NIDCR’s informational webinars scheduled for Thursday, August 27, from 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (ET), or Wednesday, September 2, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (ET). You’ll hear more about the process for developing the new strategic plan, the topic areas outlined above, and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions of NIDCR leadership. Visit the event page to sign up (registration is required).
• Contact your program officer with questions about your funded research. If you’re just getting started and want to discuss your research idea, use Matchmaker to find relevant NIH program officials.