Dental Registry and DNA Repository
The NIH/NIDCR has recently established new scientific priorities and research initiatives evoking multi- and interdisciplinary research to solve the "puzzle" of complex diseases and conditions. There is an overwhelming need to better understand the genes, behavior, diet/nutrition, infectious agents, environment, and society, not to mention the need to find the best way to conduct research opportunities during these challenging budget times. With all of that in mind, we have established the Dental Registry and DNA Repository (DRDR) at the School of Dental Medicine in order to obtain clinical information and a biological sample from all individuals seeking treatment at the School of Dental Medicine.
The Dental Registry and DNA Repository is revolutionary because it eliminates the need for further Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluations for projects seeking to use data from the registry. Furthermore, the DRDR will allow the clinical faculty to engage in research activities and to increase the external funding for research at the School of Dental Medicine.
To our knowledge, the SDM Dental Registry and DNA Repository is the only project in the world to keep a comprehensive set of dental phenotypes linked to DNA samples.