Press Release

For Immediate Release Contact:
Kaylyn Kendall Dines
www.umdnj.edu
973-972-7276

At UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School
Researchers Lead an International Study on Children, Oral Health and Self Esteem with $1 Million Award from the NIH

Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) are leading an international study to assess the relationship between children's oral health status and their perceived body image and quality of life.

The study, funded by a $1 million grant from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, is under the direction of Dr. Hillary Broder, acting chair of the Department of Community Health at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School.

Approximately 600 children between ages eight and 15 from the United States and several other countries will participate in the research project.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate how conditions and disorders of the mouth and face influence a child's quality of life.

Dr. Broder said, "We will examine how a child's thoughts about oral health shape his or her perceived body image and collect information about how oral health disorders such as crooked teeth, buck teeth, discolored teeth, bad breath, cavities, and clef lip and palate influence a child's behavior, actions and sense of well-being."

The research team comprises dentists, public health researchers, epidemiologists, sociologists and psychologists.

They have developed a Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP), a tool designed for linguistically and ethnically diverse populations to measure and assess the relationship between oral health and quality of life.

The researchers will use this survey instrument to identify issues such as how oral health problems affect a child's ability to interact with others. For example, are they teased or bullied? Do they avoid meeting new people or have a high absenteeism rate from school?

The team also will survey the parents or caregivers of their pediatric patients and compare their responses to the children's answers to determine the impact of these dental health problems their children's quality of life.

In addition to the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, two other universities in the United States are participating in the study - New York University School of Medicine and Dentistry and the University of Connecticut. The other participating sites are McGill University and the University of Toronto, both in Canada; the University of Otago School of Dentistry in New Zealand; ACTA in The Netherlands; Universite d'Auvergne in France; University of Sao Paulo in Brazil; Guy's Hospital Dental School in London; the University of Hong Kong in China; and the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

UMDNJ is the largest university of its kind in the nation. It comprises the state's only three medical schools and dental school, and also has schools of nursing, public health, health related professions and biomedical sciences. The University offers 27 academic programs in health sciences. Its four main academic health care campuses are located in Newark, Camden, Stratford and Piscataway/New Brunswick, and it also has affiliations with more than 200 academic and health care institutions throughout New Jersey. UMDNJ is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in: the undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and continuing education of health professionals and scientists; the conduct of basic biomedical, psychosocial, clinical and public health research, health promotion, disease prevention and the delivery of health care; and service to the citizens of New Jersey.

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