Oral Diseases and Disorders Research - Training, Individual

Progress in dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) science depends on the availability of a talented, well-prepared workforce. NIDCR’s extramural individual training programs support a broad portfolio of basic, translational, and clinical research training across DOC sciences. NIDCR research areas of programmatic interest encompass DOC tissue mineralization and developmental anomalies; head and neck cancers; oral microbiology, including HIV/AIDS; orofacial pain and temporomandibular joint disorders; and salivary gland and rheumatic diseases. The portfolio also includes preclinical and translational research to advance precision medicine, computational and data science, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, and the development of biomaterials and devices and immunomodulatory oral science, with the goal of accelerating translation, regulatory readiness, and clinical adoption of DOC-specific innovations. In addition, NIDCR supports patient-oriented, population, and community-based research aimed at improving DOC health across the nation. This includes biomedical and behavioral clinical trials, DOC health and epidemiology, and studies of fundamental biological processes. The individual research training and career development extramural programs span the career stages of scientists, supporting research training and career development for PhD and dual degree clinician-scientist students; postdoctoral scholars; and early career, midcareer, and established investigators. The programs provide support for fellowships, career development and career transition awards to provide research experiences for high school students through investigators and support development of a highly skilled, and nimble workforce that can rapidly respond to scientific breakthroughs and public health challenges.