National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

10 Center Dr
Bethesda MD 20814
866-232-4528
www.nidcr.nih.gov

The mission of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is to improve dental, oral, and craniofacial health.

We accomplish our mission by:

Performing and supporting basic, translational, and clinical research;

Conducting and funding research training and career development programs to ensure an adequate number of talented, well-prepared, and diverse investigators;

Coordinating and assisting relevant research and research-related activities among all sectors of the research community;

Promoting the timely transfer of knowledge gained from research and its implications for health to the public, health professionals, researchers, and policy-makers.

NIDCR leadership is responsible for planning, managing, and coordinating the nation’s dental, oral, and craniofacial research and training programs and activities.

The NIDCR Director has a unique multi-level perspective on the entire Institute. The Director provides leadership and constantly identifies critical needs and opportunities, especially for efforts that span the NIH and the federal government. NIDCR Executive Staff, including the Deputy Director, assist the NIDCR Director and share in the overall direction of the Institute’s activities. The Executive Staff advises the NIDCR Director on issues concerning the Institute, NIH, and the broader dental, oral, and craniofacial research community. More than 400 NIDCR staff support the scientific, administrative management, information technology, communication, and clinical trial and management activities needed to effectively lead and manage the world’s largest oral health research enterprise.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The institute aims to improve the oral, dental, and craniofacial health through research and the distribution of important health information to the American people.

In 1931, the United States Public Health Service established a Dental Hygiene Unit at the National Institutes of Health. Designated as the first dental research worker, Dr. H. Trendley Dean studied the communities affected by the oral disease known as mottled enamel. Following the implementation of a water fluoridation trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR), was established by President Harry S. Truman on June 24, 1948. The first grants and fellowships that supported dental research were awarded the following year.

In an effort to expand the NIDR, plans to finance the construction of a building for the institute were approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958. The National Institute of Dental Research also established the Laboratory of Biochemistry to further the research regarding the structure and functions of various proteins. In continuing with this expansion, a grant to develop several dental research facilities at various universities was approved in 1967. This program hoped to establish research and training environments, as well as promote interdisciplinary approaches to combating oral diseases.

In addition to the Laboratory of Biochemistry, other laboratories were established in the years 1974 and 1975. These newly established laboratories focused on the field of oral medicine as well as the fields of microbiology and immunology. Another effort to expand research was implemented a decade later. The Dentist Scientist Award Program aimed to provide dentists with opportunities and incentive to pursue independent research regarding oral health.

In 1986, the most extensive survey on the dental health of American adults was completed by the NIDR. This study was the first to examine oral health diseases on a large and detailed scale. Following this survey, in 1993, the National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse was established. The purpose of this database is to provide resources for health professionals, patients, and the general public regarding oral health. In continuing with its mission to distribute important health information, the NIDR launched its official website in 1996.

Following its 50th anniversary, the NIDR changed its name to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).

In 2001, the NIDCR released its revamped plan to eliminate oral health disparities across the United States. The institute followed up with this plan by establishing five new Centers for Research to Reduce Oral Health Disparities.

A decade later, Martha J. Somerman was appointed as the eighth and current director of the NIDCR. Through nurturing fundamental research and the development of researchers, the NIDCR aims to promote health, to prevent diseases and conditions, and to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics.

Map of National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 10 Center Dr, Bethesda MD 20814

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