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Health & Social Care Research Across North East & North Cumbria.

Oral and Dental Health

Meet the Team

The specialty of oral and dental health research supports a range of studies spanning across multiple sites, testing new medicinal products and devices which are developed through the health services research specialty. Main areas of focus are dental decay in younger children, reducing childhood dental complaints, developing and evaluating new technology for managing oral diseases and cancers. Research also looks at the links between oral and systemic diseases, the side effects of medication on oral and dental health, the impact of routine dental treatments and procedures and the impacts of different health services that make up oral and dental care.

Susan Ridge

Research delivery manager

CRN North East and North Cumbria

Dr Chris Vernazza

Oral and dental specialty group lead

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Areas supported:

Anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and pain management, critical care, trauma and emergency, ophthalmology, ears, nose and throat, musculoskeletal, surgery and oral and dental

Connect with Susan Ridge

Email Susan

Dr Chris Vernazza's research experience

I am Newcastle University’s director of research and academic training and an academic paediatric dentist researching in the field of health services research, specifically health economics and practising paediatric dentistry as an honorary consultant. I am also involved in teaching at the university at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

My main interest is in applying economic techniques in oral health and the study of decision making in oral health. This involves a variety of work across a wide range of dental disciplines, although the work is concentrated around paediatric dentistry, replacements for missing teeth, root canal treatment (endodontics), periodontal treatment, orthodontics and preventive care. I have particular interests in the economics methods of willingness to pay/discrete choice experiments and economics-based priority setting tools in policy decision making (commissioning). This work has bridged health economics, oral health services research and policy with key links with NHS England established.

I have also furthered my interest in policy by becoming a member of the Newcastle University Policy Academy. I also have an interest in applying qualitative methods in understanding dental decision making from both the patient and professional points of view. Finally, I am involved in dental epidemiology. For example, I was involved in the decennial UK Child Dental Health Survey.

Connect with Dr Chris Vernazza

Email Chris

How to get involved

Explore

Visit the national specialty page here

Sign up

Join the British Society for Oral and Dental Research, where annual international meetings are held alternating between the UK and international partners.

Visit the Biomedical Research Centre

Visit the Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, where research takes place that focuses on toothache and the neuropathic pain phenomena and the potential treatments and interventions.

Get in touch

Contact Dr Chris Vernazza, director of the Dental Clinical Research Unit in Newcastle, where staff are highly trained in all aspects of oral and dental clinical trial delivery. Staff who are interested may be able to visit the facility to explore the opportunities to get involved in research. The Dental Clinical Research Unit has very strong ties to Newcastle University, where it is hoped that research is seen as a positive opportunity for early career practitioners.

Be Part of Research

Signpost patients to Be Part of Research and encourage your colleagues to do the same.