Fourth annual meeting for Permanente Dental Associates DPBRN practitioner-investigators
Monday, October 26, 2009

PDA held its 4th annual regional meeting on Saturday October 17, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. Forty eight dentists attended. Dr. Gary Lowder, an Executive Committee member from the PRECEDENT practice-based research network, shared study results and studies underway in PRECEDENT as well as provided insights about PRECEDENT's organization. Dr. Gregg Gilbert provided an update of current network activities, Dr. Daniel Pihlstrom presented the Osteonecrosis case-control study and Dr. David Mosen discussed his work looking at dental care and medical outcomes for adults with diabetes.

A highlight of the day was the provider led poster discussions. Dr. Susan Antony, Dr. Donald Hess, Dr. Ethan Kaufman, and Dr. Jonathan Warmflash provided a brief synopsis of a poster while groups of dentists asked questions and discussed the implications of the poster results.

Twenty six dentists received framed certificates for completing the DPBRN study Reasons for replacement or repair of dental restorations.

For dentists attending the meeting who were not currently enrolled in the DPBRN, Gail Morgan, DPBRN project manager, assembled enrollment materials and interested dentists could take a DPBRN Enrollment Folder with them, return the verification forms in the provided return envelope and be well on their way to DPBRN membership!

Annual DPBRN face-to-face committee meetings held in Minnesota
Friday, October 02, 2009

The Executive Committee, Steering Committee, and Regional Coordinators annual face-to-face meetings were held at HealthPartners in Bloomington, MN September 17th and 18th, 2009. Each year, the committee members from all DPBRN regions meet face-to-face to discuss past, present, and future DPBRN projects. Members from AL/MS, FL/GA, PDA, Scandinavia, and MN were all present.

The Steering Committee discussed the various DPBRN manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations thus far as well as those in progress and future topics. The committee also was updated on the status of present DPBRN studies ("Prevalence of questionable occlusal caries lesions”, “Blood sugar testing in dental practice”, “Impact of dental practice-based research networks on patient care”, and “Longitudinal study of repaired or replaced restorations”), and future DPBRN studies (“Peri-operative pain and root canal therapy” and “Primary care management for TMJD pain”).

DPBRN Regional Coordinators discuss the glucometers for DPBRN study “Blood sugar testing in dental practice”

The Executive Committee met to discuss past, present, and future DPBRN studies. One of the topics included the practitioner-specific results from “Reasons for placing the first restoration on permanent tooth surfaces” so the participants can view their results and compare them with other practitioners in the study from the various regions. The Regional Coordinators met to discuss the next DPBRN study “Blood sugar testing in dental practice”. They discussed the glucometer being used in the dental practices as well as how to ensure the study integrates easily into daily clinical practice.

Third annual meeting for HealthPartners and Minnesota DPBRN practitioner-investigators
Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The MN Region of the DPBRN hosted its annual meeting led by Dr. Pat Foy and Dr. Brad Rindal. The event was held at the Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport in Bloomington, MN on Saturday, September 19th, 2009. Despite glorious weather and a competing MN Gopher football game in the new University of Minnesota stadium, 40 individuals attended, including dentists and hygienists enrolled in the DPBRN, prospective enrollees, and members of the faculty research community at the School of Dentistry.

DPBRN Executive Committee members Dr. Dan Pihlstrom, Dr. Paul Benjamin, and Dr. Vibeke Qvist provided engaging updates on their specific regions. Dr. Gregg Gilbert spoke about DPBRN progress as well as future studies. Dr. Don DeNucci provided context for the DPBRN within the broader framework of the future of the NIDCR.

Dr. Alan Law and Dr. Don Nixdorf presented the upcoming studies on “Peri-operative Pain and Root Canal Therapy” and “Persistent Pain and Root Canal Therapy”. These studies will be piloted in the MN region this Fall for launch in other regions in the early part of 2010.

Preliminary results were presented by practitioners enrolled in the studies on “Osteonecrosis of the Jaw” and “Reasons for Placement of Restorations on Previously Unrestored Teeth.” A breakout session focused on the latter study, with much positive feedback from practitioners:

“It was great to meet and network with such an enthusiastic and committed group of dental health care professionals and researchers. While I am not a general dentist, I appreciated the study related to assessing depth of decay. It emphasizes the imprecision of our current technology. I enjoyed the round table discussions. It is clear that the group truly cares about incorporating an evidence-based approach into practice.” - Dr. Alan Law

“I enjoyed the recent DPBRN meeting. I did not participate in the study that was discussed at the meeting but I did find the results interesting and especially enjoyed the table discussions with other dentists. There are many ways to look at data, collect data and view the results. I was excited to share the DPBRN with other dentists in my group practice who don't know about the DPBRN group. I have recently contacted them hoping that they will find this group beneficial to them also. I have been doing dentistry differently due to the studies that I have learned about so far, and I do believe that it has made me practice better dentistry, giving my patients better outcomes.” - Dr. Margie Kennelly

Minnesota Dental Association (MDA) presents symposium on practice-based research
Thursday, September 03, 2009

The MDA Evidence-Based Dentistry Task Force is presenting a symposium entitled, “Practical Research for Clinical Excellence: Be Smarter - Be Better - And Be Part Of The Process!” on Friday, October 30, 2009 at the University of Minnesota St. Paul Continuing Education & Conference Center.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Issues Final Regulation on Dental Amalgam
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Summer 2009 DPBRN Newsletter
Monday, July 27, 2009

The Summer 2009 DPBRN Newsletter has been mailed out. Please click here to view the newsletter.

DPBRN Presentation at the North American Dental Hygiene Research Conference
Monday, July 06, 2009

Dr. Gregg Gilbert, DPBRN Network Chair, gave a presentation at the North American Dental Hygiene Research Conference on June 15, 2009. As part of a plenary session entitled “Translating Research Into Practice”, he gave a presentation entitled “An Update from The Dental PBRN”. This conference was held June 15-17, 2009 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland, just blocks away from the National Institutes of Health. The Conference was sponsored by the National Center for Dental Hygiene Research based at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry, in collaboration with the American and Canadian Dental Hygienists Associations. The conference had about 150 attendees who came from private practice, academia, and governmental agencies.

DPBRN presents poster at the AHRQ PBRN National Research Conference
Monday, July 06, 2009

FL/GA holds annual DPBRN Regional meeting
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The FL regional practitioner-investigators participated in the annual regional meetings on June 19th, with the Georgia regional practitioner-investigators to meet July 24th. A presentation on completed, scheduled, and future research was given and practitioners enjoyed meeting other practitioner-investigators. Posters presented at national and international meetings were also on display. Attendees expressed interest in the update on studies and were enthusiastic in talking with each other about the on-going research.

Pilot Testing for Blood Sugar* Study
Monday, June 22, 2009

Before a study can begin in earnest, it needs to be pilot tested in order to ensure that it will run smoothly in daily clinical practice. The DPBRN study entitled “Blood Sugar Testing in Dental Practice” has just completed this phase. Dr. Andrei Barasch, of Birmingham, AL, is the Principal Investigator of the study, which aims to determine the feasibility of blood glucose measurement in dental practice. If successful, this may have significant public health benefits and establish dental practice as a point of entry into the health care system.

Dr. Randall Palmore and his staff in Pinson, Alabama have completed an evaluation of the screening and testing forms, as well as the consecutive log sheet for this study. The process involves screening patients based on their diabetes risks. If they qualify, they are tested with a glucose meter that is readily available in any drug store. Patients whose blood glucose is elevated are then referred to their physician for further evaluation and treatment.

"As a practicing General Dentist for over 25 years I have seen my practice grow from a 'tooth'-focused practice to one that is beginning to look at the total health of my patients. I believe blood glucose screening is another great way of demonstrating to my patients the importance of maintaining long term health by early detection."

Randall Palmore, DMD, FAGD; The Dental Health Center; Southernsmile.com

Based on initial suggestions, changes have been made to the screening and testing forms to help increase the ease and efficiency of this study. The recruitment phase will begin in all DPBRN regions shortly. For more information, please visit http://www.DentalPBRN.org or contact your Regional Coordinator. Many thanks to Dr. Palmore for his significant contribution to the success of this study! Also, a special “thank you” to the office staff for their support and effort; the study team has obtained valuable feedback.

* the terms ‘blood sugar’ , ‘blood glucose’, and ‘hyperglycemia’ are related and interchangeable in some contexts. DPBRN adopted the term ‘blood sugar’ for the title of this study to tailor its communication to a lay, non-dental, non-medical audience. This helps facilitate explaining the study to dental patients.

IADR formalizes slate of officers for the Network for Practice Based Dentistry
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The “Network for Practice-Based Research” formalized its slate of officers at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Annual Session in Miami, held in April of this year. The DPBRN is well represented in this group, with Ms. Deborah McEdward, RDH, coordinator for the FL/GA region, serving as Treasurer, and Dr. Craig Ajmo, Practitioner-Investigator, serving as interim Practitioner-At-Large.

The other officers of the IADR Network are:

The IADR is structured with separate “Groups”, each one dedicated to a particular area of study, using traditional research methodology. With the advent of evidence-based and practice-based research, the IADR created “Networks” each of which is tasked with coordinating with the specific Groups dealing with any particular study, while focusing on the Network’s style of research.

Each Group and Network has its own board, elected from within, which administers its own budget, and sets its own meeting agenda under the umbrella of IADR. The board also sets a social agenda in order to foster a collegial atmosphere and improve communication among researchers worldwide.

The IADR created the Network for Practice-Based Research at the July 2008 Session in Toronto. Several of our DPBRN studies were presented by a number of our researchers at both the Miami and Toronto Annual Sessions. Additional information regarding specific presentations is available throughout this website.

Guest Editorial in Northwest Dentistry: "Research that works: Dental PBRN"
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Dr. Pat Foy, a full-time private practitioner in Minneapolis, MN, DPBRN practitioner-investigator, and member of the DPBRN Executive Committee, wrote the guest editorial for the May/June 2009 issue of Northwest Dentistry, the journal of the Minnesota Dental Association. In it, he discusses his perspective as a member of DPBRN and its role in dentistry. Click here to view the article.

Development of DPBRN Studies 17 & 18 Underway
Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Two endodontic studies regarding the assessment of pain in relation to initial root canal therapy are under development. “Peri-operative Pain associated with Root Canal Therapy” (DPBRN Study 17), and “Persistent Pain associated with Root Canal Therapy” (DPBRN Study 18) have the combined goals to:

1) assess the frequency and intensity of pre-operative pain;

2) evaluate the occurrence and intensity of intra-operative pain;

3) evaluate the occurrence and intensity of post-operative pain;

4) estimate the frequency and intensity of persistent tooth pain;

5) assess the interference of persistent tooth pain with daily life; and

6) identify risk factors related to the development of persistent pain.

The long-term goal of this line of research is to identify modifiable factors that put patients at risk of experiencing intra-operative, post-operative, and persistent tooth pain following root canal therapy so that dentists can intervene to prevent this pain from occurring.

This study is being developed and directed from the Minnesota region, with Dr. Donald Nixdorf at the University of Minnesota leading the project, in close collaboration with Dr. Brad Rindal at HealthPartners and Dr. Alan Law, a DPBRN member Endodontist in private practice. It will involve 48 practitioner-investigator dentists within DPBRN. Target enrollment is 12 endodontists and 36 general practitioners who will collectively enroll and treat 600 patients who require non-surgical root canal therapy on a previous un-accessed permanent tooth over 6 months.

Participation for patients involves completing a series of questionnaires. Prior to root canal therapy and before administration of local anesthesia, patients will complete a survey that will take about 1 minute. Before starting treatment patients will fill out a survey that takes about 3 minutes. Patients will be given a packet that contains another 1-minute survey that should be completed about an hour after treatment and a 2-minutes survey that should be completed one week after the appointment. A 6-month follow up of patients will not involve the dentist. A 2-minute survey will be mailed to each patient that will be mailed back to the regional coordinators.

Dentists enrolled to participate in these studies are to be recruiting patients in the winter of 2009-10 for the Minnesota region and summer 2010 for other regions.

DPBRN Practitioner-Investigator presents at PRECEDENT meeting
Friday, June 05, 2009

DPBRN practitioner-investigator Dr. Ethan Kaufman presented at the 4th Annual Northwest PRECEDENT (Practice-based Research Collaborative in Evidence-based Dentistry) meeting on March 6, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. In addition to DPBRN and the PEARL network, PRECEDENT is one of the three dental PBRNs funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in 2005. Presenting on behalf of DPBRN, Dr. Kaufman provided an overview of the mission, structure and studies currently underway in DPBRN. Representatives from the PEARL network, the NIDCR, and the ADA were also among the audience of over 150 PRECEDENT practitioner-investigators and guests. Dr. Kaufman is a general dentist with Permanente Dental Associates and practices in Longview, Washington.

Welcome new DPBRN Regional Coordinators
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Emily Utoft Durand, BS, BA, RDH has recently joined HealthPartners Research Foundation and the DPBRN as Minnesota’s Regional Coordinator. Prior to HealthPartners, Emily was the Associate Director and Editor of a sponsored project at the University of Minnesota that translated peer-reviewed research findings into everyday language for professionals working in architecture, design, and regional planning and policy. With a background in both dental hygiene and rhetoric, Emily is excited about the potential of the DPBRN to transform both the pace and processes through which knowledge is created and utilized within dentistry.

Lene Fabricius-Bekker has recently joined the Scandinavian DPBRN region. Ms. Fabricius-Bekker is a dental hygienist and received her education from the University of Copenhagen in 2003. Since then, she has been working in a private clinic in Copenhagen, where she will continue to work part-time. Lene will work as part-time Regional Coordinator in the DPBRN.

Ms. Emily Durand

Ms. Lene Fabricius-Bekker

DPBRN posters and presentations AADR meeting
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

DPBRN presents at 4th Annual Meeting of the PEARL Network
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

DPBRN Practitioner Investigator and Executive Committee Member Dr. Dan Pihlstrom presented at the 4th Annual Meeting of the PEARL (Practitioners Engaged in Applied Research and Learning) Network on April 25, 2009. The presentation was an overview of the DPBRN and was very well received by the audience. In addition to his presentation, Dan Pihlstrom participated in the PEARL breakout sessions and lectures. Topics covered at the PEARL meeting included the following:

The meeting was held at the IBM Palisades Conference Center in New York and was attended by over 100 PEARL members and guests. Dr. Pihlstrom practices with Permanente Dental Associates in Portland, Oregon.

Three annual DPBRN meetings held in Scandinavia
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Scandinavia region has a pool of enthusiastic practitioner-investigators who are excited to participate in DPBRN studies, and find it beneficial to gather and discuss previous studies together with current studies.

Usually, when Swedish and Danish DPBRN practitioner-investigators are joined at meetings, they meet at the School of Dentistry in Copenhagen. But this year’s annual meeting will be held in each of the three Scandinavian countries. The reason is that there are evident differences between the dentist societies within the three Scandinavian countries although the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish participants in the DPBRN project are working geographically close to each other.

On March 31, 2009 Dr. Vibeke Qvist, Principal Investigator, and Pia Nørrisgaard, Regional Coordinator, met with 10 practitioner-investigators from Sweden in Malmö. Then on April 21,2009, the second meeting was held in Copenhagen for 17 Danish practitioner-investigators. The Norwegian annual meeting will be held later this year.

At the meetings in Malmö and Copenhagen, the main topic was DPBRN studies “Reasons for repair or replacement of restorations” and “Patient satisfaction with dental restorations”, which has been in the field in Norway since October 2008. Dr. Qvist also gave a brief update on the current news in DPBRN, introduced the future studies, and discussed the DPBRN presentations and posters from the AADR meeting in April 2009 held in Miami, FL. The practitioner-investigators appreciated the opportunity to focus on national experiences of participating in the network and enjoyed the extended meetings.

Perspectives of a practitioner-investigator attending the AADR meeting for the first time
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Dr. Gerald Anderson, DPBRN practitioner-investigator in Selma, AL and the AL/MS region representative on the DPBRN Executive Committee, attended the American Association for Dental Research meeting held in Miami, FL April 1-4, 2009. He presented a poster entitled “Caries prevention regimens: usage by sub-groups of Dental PBRN dentists”. This was Dr. Anderson’s first time attending a dental research meeting.

“I loved meeting so many people and practitioners from all over the world. The exchange of ideas and seeing dentistry from their perspective was so enlightening. The meetings on DPBRN were interesting and I attended some others on esthetics and ceramic restorations as well. Overall, I enjoyed presenting the poster and talking to so many about the DPBRN. It was a great meeting and interacting with those at the University of FL that are involved in our network. I talked to several dentists at other institutions about the DPBRN and they seemed very interested in starting one in their area. It was such a fun time and has really challenged me to evaluate the treatment that I give my patients! Thanks for this opportunity to attend and represent the DPBRN.”

DPBRN presents to the NIDCR PBRN National Monitoring Committee
Monday, April 27, 2009

When it funded three dental PBRNs in 2005, NIDCR formed the PBRN National Monitoring Committee. This committee meets twice each year to review progress of the PBRNs and to provide feedback to the Principal Investigators (Network Chair and Coordinating Center) and the NIDCR PBRN Program Director. The Committee includes representatives from several stakeholder groups, including professional organizations (e.g., the American Dental Association), a public advocacy member, and specific content experts, such as directors of medical PBRNs and an expert in dental informatics. For DPBRN, the Monitoring Committee functions as an external advisory board. DPBRN submitted a comprehensive written progress report to the committee before the meeting.

The committee meeting was held April 24, 2009 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. DPBRN was represented by Dr. Patrick Foy, practitioner-investigator representative, Dr. Gregg Gilbert, DPBRN Network Chair, and Dr. Dale Williams, Principal Investigator of the DPBRN Coordinating Center. Dr. Foy is in full-time private practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is a member of the DPBRN Executive Committee.

Drs. Gilbert and Williams gave a presentation entitled "Year 04 DPBRN progress report". Dr. Foy gave a presentation on "Reasons for placement of restorations on previously-un-restored tooth surfaces by Dental PBRN practitioner-investigators".

The Monitoring Committee was pleased with the progress of DPBRN and made some specific recommendations to maximize the long-term impact of this initiative.

Spring 2009 DPBRN Newsletter
Thursday, April 16, 2009

DPBRN lecture to dental hygienists in Minnesota
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Dr. Brad Rindal, Principal Investigator of the DPBRN Minnesota region, DPBRN practitioner-investigator, and former DPBRN Executive Committee member, and Ms. Merry Jo Thoele, Regional Coordinator for the Minnesota region, spoke to a class of dental hygienists at Metro State University in Normandale, MN on December 6, 2008.

The students were practicing dental hygienists returning to school to complete their degrees. This class focused on evidence-based dental hygiene practice with this particular lecture focusing on the application of translational research and evidence-based clinical practice.

Dr. Rindal and Ms. Thoele lectured on evidence-based dentistry and how research impacts dental practices. Ms. Thoele talked about the differences and similarities between working with dental patients versus research subjects, the legal and ethical framework of federal regulatory policies, and history and development of the IRB. Dr. Rindal spoke about the important role that practice-based research, specifically the DPBRN, plays in evidence-based methodology. This lecture received strong positive feedback from both the students and course instructor.