SJWRI research staff and students have been highly successful in the 2016 NZ Dental Association Research Foundation and Ministry of Health Oral Health Research funding rounds, the results of which were released yesterday. Our researchers are primary investigators on eleven research proposals awarded $107,600 in funding from the NZDA Research Foundation, and another five projects totalling $119,544 from the Ministry's targeted Oral Health Research fund. In total, $235,144 was awarded to SJWRI researchers. Many of these awards will support the research of postgraduate students and the training of specialist dentists.
NZ Dental Association Research Foundation
Established in 1964, the NZ Dental Association Research Foundation awards grants for research projects related to dentistry. Its overall purpose is to "promote, foster and extend the study and practice of the art and science of dentistry in New Zealand". Since its inception, the Foundation has provided financial support for decades of dental and oral health research projects within the Dental School and the SJWRI, to help extend the boundaries of dental knowledge and to promote the fostering and extension of the study and practice of the art and science of dentistry in New Zealand. The Research Foundation is funded by donations from dental practitioners, the dental supply industry and other businesses, as well as profits from the annual NZDA Conference and other fundraising activities. The SJWRI and the Faculty are hugely grateful for the role and contribution of the NZDA Research Foundation in supporting our research over the past five decades, in the process helping many of our Masters, PhD and specialising dental postgraduate students complete their studies.
Our successful applicants in the 2016 round are:
| Principal applicant |
Other applicants (SJWRI unless noted) |
Project title | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nawal Radhiah Abdul Rahman | Dr Benedict Seo, Dr Haizal Hussaini, Prof Alison Rich | Expression of the lysyl oxidase family in benign odontogenic tumours | $9,442 |
| Dr Jonathan Broadbent | Prof Murray Thomson | A life course study on chronic dental conditions and ageing of the teeth and dentition: equipment grant | $13,500 |
| Sy Yin (Adeline) Chai | A/Prof Vincent Bennani, John Aarts, Prof Karl Lyons, Dr Bronwyn Lowe, Andrew Gray | The effect of preparation design on stress distribution and fracture strength of porcelain laminate veneers | $6,500 |
| Prof Mauro Farella | Dr Joseph Antoun, A/Prof Nicholas Chandler, Prof Tony Merriman (Biochemistry), Will Sew Hoy | Genetic and psychological factors associated with orthodontic pain in children and adolescents | $8,441 |
| Prof Mauro Farella | Divya Ramanan, Dr Ajith Polonowita, Dr John Hamilton, Prof Sandro Palla (U Zurich) | Jaw muscle overload as a possible cause of orofacial pain and headache | $12,350 |
| Nurul Ruziantee Ibrahim | Dr Haizal Hussaini, Dr Benedict Seo, Prof Alison Rich | Lymphangiogenesis in metastatic lymph nodes of oral squamous cell carcinoma | $10,800 |
| Ludwig Jansen van Vuuren | Prof Warwick Duncan, A/Prof Neil Waddell | Development of a simulant model for clinically relevant testing of implant-and natural tooth-supported all-ceramic restorations | $8,000* |
| Visiting Professor Jae-Kwang Jung | Dr Haizal Hussaini, Dr Benedict Seo, Prof Alison Rich | Investigation of the role of lymphangiogenesis in oral lichen planus | $12,144 |
| Dr Venkata Praveen Parachuru | Prof Warwick Duncan, Dr Ellie Knight | IL33 and IL35 expression in healthy and diseased gingival tissues | $14,988 |
| Elizabeth Williams | Dr Benedict Seo, Dr Haizal Hussaini, Dr Dawn Coates, Prof Alison Rich | Investigation of the presence of human papillomavirus in verrucal-papillary lesions of the oral cavity and comparison of viral detection methods | $8,962 |
| Muhammed Yakin | Dr Benedict Seo, Prof Alison Rich | The expression of STAT3 signalling pathway proteins in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma tissue | $2,503 |
*Grant-in aid of $3,000 from the NZDARF and $5,000 from the International College of Dentists
Ministry of Health Oral Health Research Grants
In 2007, the NZ Ministry of Health established a funding programme for oral health research, managed by the NZDA and its Research Foundation, to fund research targeted towards the oral health priorities of the Ministry. Priority is given to oral health research that targets children and adolescents; people of all ages with physical, intellectual, behavioural, or cognitive disabilities, or who are medically compromised; people experiencing inequalities of outcome (e.g. Maori, Pacific and low-income populations); maternal oral health; older adults; and research focusing on promoting oral health, building links with primary care and building the oral health workforce.
Our successful applicants in the 2016 round are:
| Principal applicant | Other applicants | Project title | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| A/Prof Lyndie Foster Page | Dr Joseph Antoun, Dr Hannah Jack | Reading between the lines: how do young New Zealanders from low socio- economic backgrounds feel about not getting their teeth straightened? | $29,168 |
| Dr Lara Friedlander | Shaikra Al Samahi, Prof Alison Rich, Dr Haizal Hussaini, Dr Trudy Milne | Type 2 Diabetes and inflammatory markers in dental pulp | $14,891 |
| Prof Alison Rich | Dema Waleed, Prof Murray Thomson | Teeth for all for life: time to rethink? Comparing retaining natural teeth versus dentures among New Zealand's older population | $1,620 |
| Dr Lee Smith | A/Prof Lyndie Foster Page, Dr Rosalina Richards (Preventive & Social Medicine) | Pasifika adolescents' understandings and experiences of oral health care | $36,076 |
| Prof Murray Thomson | Dr Moira Smith (UO Wellington), Prof Ngaire Kerse (U Auckland), Dr Anna Ferguson | Cognitive function, dependency and oral health among frail older New Zealanders: a national survey | $37,789 |
Names italicised above are SJWRI postgraduate students (either PhD or DClinDent).
Congratulations to all those funded in this year's rounds.