Research

12 • International Links with Knowledge Services

Background

DHSRU has for decades followed a twin-track dissemination policy for its research and has collaborated across disciplines and geographies in order to work with the best groups to promote implementation of results into policy and practice. There are a wide range of Knowledge Transfer activities undertaken at the international level..

Progress highlighting collaborations to translate Knowledge into Action to improve dentistry internationally

DHSRU continues to play an active part in the FDI World Dental Federations’ Global Caries Initiative, which has a goal to “improve oral health through the implementation of a new paradigm for managing dental caries and its consequences, one that is based on our current knowledge of the disease process and its prevention, so as to deliver optimal oral and thus general health and well-being to all peoples”. In 2010 Professor Pitts was appointed to the FDI Science Committee and an FDI Position Statement on Caries Classification and Management was approved.

International Caries Classification and Management System™ (ICDAS-ICCMS™)
The ICDAS philosophy addresses Knowledge Transfer in both Education and Research, as well as the work reported in earlier highlights on the Epidemiology and Practice applications. The ICCMS™ is being developed with staff from Dental Schools in ten Universities from the USA, UK, Europe, South America and the Middle-East. There are at least 54 published peer-reviewed papers (with first authors from 13 countries), 6 book chapters and 45 abstracts which use ICDAS (see http://www.ICDAS.org).

International Association for Dental Research (IADR): Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Agenda (GOHIRA)
GOHIRA is a new initiative with a focus on inequalities in oral health and overcoming past failures to get research findings into policy and practice. Professor Pitts is the Chair of the Dental Caries Task Group, which includes wide representation, including the IADR Cariology Group and Evidence Based Dentistry (EBD) Network. The GOHIRA strategy is to address both implementation gaps and a research agenda. A full report of the Dental Caries Task Group is accepted for publication Advances in Dental Research (in March 2011).

Alliance for a Cavity Free Future (ACFF)
A new Alliance has been created to tackle the continuing global public health problem of caries. Initial work has been undertaken by an International Expert Panel in dental caries and dental public health convened by Professor Pitts and Professor Ramon Bedi (Kings College, London), working with the Colgate Company as a Foundation donor. The mission of ACFF is to: “Stop caries initiation and progression and move towards a cavity-free future by working with countries to build on existing initiatives with a new understanding of caries as a disease continuum and to adopt comprehensive strategies for caries prevention and management.” The Alliance’s first initiative is a web-based resource co-produced with the School of Public Health at Harvard featuring evidence-based advice, tools and support materials http://www.allianceforacavityfreefuture.org/en/us/home.

Images below

The first photograph shows the participants from 11 Universities at the Philadelphia ICDAS Workshop developing the ICCMS™. The second shows participating experts from around the world signing a declaration for the new Alliance.

Impact Statement

DHSRU has developed, nurtured and maintained a broad range of effective international collaborations and links with research and professional organisations to disseminate knowledge and Get Research-findings into routine Practice (GRiP) while influencing policy at the International level. We also continue to develop new methods to open up Knowledge Services to dental practices, community settings and the public.