Alexandria, VA, USA – The Journal of Dental Research (JDR) is excited to announce the publication of a new issue of Advances in Dental Research, a supplement to the Journal of Dental Research (JDR), entitled, "Geroscience: Aging and Oral Health Research.”
The 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the Canadian Association for Dental Research featured a three-day “Meeting Within a Meeting” on the topic of “Geroscience: Aging and Oral Health Research,” organized by AADOCR past president Jane Weintraub. These sessions are summarized in the upcoming issue of Advances in Dental Research.
Session 1 provided an overview of the Geroscience and “health span” (disease-free and functional health throughout life) concepts. The common molecular mechanisms between oral cancer and aging were discussed, and research was presented that showed periodontal microflora as a potential factor in Alzheimer’s disease progression. Session 2 focused on behavioral and social science aspects of aging and their oral health significance. The keynote provided evidence that loneliness and isolation have major health effects. Session 3 focused on the delivery of oral care in different settings and the many barriers to access care faced by older adults.
“The link between healthy aging and access to quality oral health services has rarely been clearer,” said JDR Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jakubovics. “This issue highlights the urgent need for new models of care provision that focus on disease prevention and maintenance of health in older adults.”
Research in aging has significantly advanced; scientists are now able to identify interventions that slow the biologic aging processes (i.e., the “hallmarks of aging”), thus delaying the onset and progression of multiple diseases, including oral conditions. Nonetheless, additional research is needed to identify and implement technology and effective strategies to improve access to dental care, including new delivery and financing mechanisms, workforce models, interprofessional provider education and practice, and use of big data from medical-dental integration of electronic health records. Research to improve oral health span, reduce oral health disparities, and increase health equity must be tackled at all levels from biologic pathways to social determinants of health and health policies.
“This is clearly one of the top health priorities facing our community,” said AADOCR Past President Jane Weintraub. “The exciting research in the field of Geroscience has important potential for increasing our overall health and our ‘oral healthspan’ for years without oral disease and disability.”
About Advances in Dental Research
Advances in Dental Research is an online supplement to the Journal of Dental Research. A subscription to JDR grants you access to the articles in Advances in Dental Research. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
About the Journal of Dental Research
The Journal of Dental Research is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. The JDR Editor-in-Chief is Nicholas Jakubovics, Newcastle University, England. To learn more, visit https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jdr and follow JDR on Twitter at @JDentRes.
About IADR/AADOCR
The IADR is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research for health and well-being worldwide. IADR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit and private-sector institutions who share our mission. The AADOCR is the largest Division of IADR. Learn more at www.iadr.org.