Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences Study Section – ODCS

Topics

• Studies related to genetics, biochemistry and physiology of oral bacteria, and pathogenesis of oral infection and microbiome and their impacts on oral health and disease.
• Mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity and inflammation in oral disease processes.
• Studies related to the development, physiology and biochemistry of salivary glands, oral complications of Sjögren’s syndrome and mechanisms and etiology of salivary gland tumors.
• Studies related to oral mucositis, xerostomia, oral wound healing, and peri-implantitis.
• Studies on pathogenesis of periodontal tissues and treatment; caries development and prevention therapies; development of methods for orthodontic treatment and endodontic regenerative therapy.
• Dental pulp and enamel biology including cellular, molecular and structural aspects of dentin-pulp complex, cementoblasts, odontoblasts, ameloblasts in both normal and pathological conditions.
• Development of dental implants and restorative materials.

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests with Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD] in the investigation of teeth and oral cavity.  Grant applications that focus on craniofacial development and biomineralization including mechanisms and development of oral hard tissue (palate), mandibular or maxilla bone, tooth and enamel development may be assigned to SBDD. Applications that focus on periodontal bone remodeling, pathogenesis of oral and dental diseases, tooth mineralization, dentin and enamel biology may be assigned to ODCS.

There are shared interests with Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering [MTE] in the investigation related to tissue engineering. Grant applications that focus on tissue engineering of temporomandibular joints, calvarial, and jaw bones may be assigned to MTE. Applications on regeneration of periodontal ligament and pulp tissues may be assigned to ODCS.

There are shared interests with Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR] in the investigation of temporomandibular joint related disorders. Grant applications that focus on biomechanics, osteoarthritis and cartilage biology of temporomandibular joint may be assigned to SBSR. Applications that focus on mechanisms and biomechanics of mastication may be assigned to ODCS.

There are shared interests with Bacterial Virulence (BV) in the investigation of bacterial pathogenesis. Grant Applications that focus on pathogenic mechanisms of non-oral bacteria may be assigned to BV. Applications that focus on pathogenicity of oral bacteria may be assigned to ODCS.

There are shared interests with study sections in Basic and Translational Cancer [BTC] Review Branch in the investigation of oral and head and neck cancers.  Grant applications that focus on etiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms of oral and head and neck cancers may to assigned to the BTC Review Branch. Applications that focus on precancerous oral lesions, or salivary gland cancers may be assigned to ODCS.

There are shared interests with study sections in Cancer Diagnosis, Prevention & Therapeutics [CDPT] Review Branch in the investigation of translational and clinical aspects of oral and head and neck cancers. Grant applications that focus on cancer therapy and cancer biomarker discovery may be assigned to CDPT Review Branch.  Applications that focus on methods to manage oral complications of radiation or chemo-therapies may be assigned to ODCS.

There are shared interested with Interspecies Microbial Interactions and Infections [IMII] in the area of polymicrobial virulence and the microbiome. Applications that focus on oral microbiology are reviewed in ODCS. Applications that focus on other areas of the body are reviewed in IMII.