[ODCS Roster]

The Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS] study section reviews applications involving basic, applied and clinical aspects of the development, biology, pathology and repair of oral, dental and craniofacial tissues.

Specific areas covered by ODCS:

• Biochemistry, molecular and cell biology of oral and craniofacial structures:  tissue organization and structure, including cell-extracellular matrix and cell-cell interactions in dentin, cementum, enamel and craniofacial and alveolar bone; associated diseases and disorders of these structures; salivary gland and oral mucosa; TMJ-associated structures, including ligaments and muscles, and their associated diseases and disorders.
•  Development and patterning of craniofacial, oral and dental structures, including: genetics and gene discovery; normal development and patterning of pharyngeal and musculoskeletal structures of the head and face; patterning of the dentition; formation of periodontal tissues and attachment complex; and developmental anomalies of these craniofacial, oral and dental structures.
• Function and physiology of salivary gland and the oral mucosal environment: salivary secretions and crevicular fluids; salivary proteins, saliva chemistry and diagnostics; salivary gland pathology, including Sjogren’s syndrome; and radiation- and systemic disease-induced xerostomia.
• Oral bacterial pathogenesis, including oral microbiological infections; study of the role of inflammation and the immune system in oral diseases processes and prevention, etiology and agents involved in caries, periodontal diseases; other oral and hard tissue infections; biofilms of oral tissues; and systemic consequences of oral microbial infections.
• Biomimetics and bioengineering of dental and craniofacial tissues: biomimetic approaches for repair and replacement of dental and craniofacial tissues and associated structures, including the TMJ, salivary gland and masticatory musculature; dental restorative materials; biomechanics at micro- and macro levels; bioengineering, including cell- and gene-based therapy, drug delivery, reconstruction and repair of the oral tissues, craniofacial skeleton, and TMJ; reconstruction and regeneration of the salivary gland; salivary gland as a vehicle for oral and systemic gene therapy; biosensors; and structural and diagnostic imaging. 

ODCS has the following shared interests within the MOSS IRG:

• Arthritis, Connective Tissue and Skin [ACTS] and Skeletal Muscle Biology and Exercise Physiology [SMEP] study sections: A) If the primary focus of an application is on TMJ and associated local musculature, rather than on systemic disease, assignment may be to the Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS]; B) If the focus is on salivary gland, rather than on other systems, assignment could be assigned to the Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS].
  
  
• Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD]:  Applications studying bone biology in craniofacial mineralized tissues, including craniofacial, intramembranous and alveolar bone may be assigned to the Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS], Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD] or Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR] depending on the central focus of the application.  Applications focused on cementum, dentin and enamel may be assigned to Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS].  Studies of biomineralization of bone, dentin, cartilage and other tissues may be consolidated in Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD].  

ODCS has the following shared interests outside the MOSS IRG:

• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG:  In general, applications that focus on early development (such as cell cycle control, apoptosis, cell fate, or early pattern formation) would be assigned to the BDA IRG.  Similarly, when the question being addressed is germane to the development of more than a single organ system, either because it addresses the "primordial organ" or because of the generality of the process being studied, the application would be assigned to the BDA IRG.  Studies focused on development of a specific organ or tissue would be reviewed in the context of that organ system.  In the case of craniofacial, oral and dental structures assignment would be to Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS].  Assignment should be made based on the central focus of the application.
  
  
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: Grant applications focused on dental and craniofacial tissue mechanisms and therapies and the application of medical implant materials, may be assigned to ODCS. Grant applications focused on developing technologies to introduce genes and drugs in a general cellular context are relevant to BST IRG.  Applications on general biocompatibility and new material development could be assigned to the BST or SBIB IRGs.
  
  
• With the Health of the Population [HOP] IRG and the Risk, Prevention, and Health Behavior [RPHB] IRG:  Behavior modification directed toward the prevention and treatment of oral or dental health could be assigned to the HOP IRG and RPHB IRG.  Applications in which the primary outcome is evaluation of behavior are also appropriate for the HOP IRG and the RPHB IRG. Population studies related to demographics or large- scale interventions may generally be assigned to the HOP IRG.  Applications on the diseases or functional consequences of behaviors could be assigned to ODCS.
  
  
• With the Immunology [IMM] IRG: The IMM IRG may be assigned applications concerning the etiology and pathogenesis of organ-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases.  ODCS may be assigned applications on inflammatory and degenerative diseases of oral soft and hard tissues.  ODCS is complementary to the IMM IRG with respect to those applications requiring expertise in pathogenic effector mechanisms and specific factors or structures relevant to target organ damage and repair.  Similarly, the IMM IRG is complementary to ODCS with respect to those applications requiring expertise in immunopathogenic mechanisms.
  
  
• With the Infectious Diseases and Microbiology [IDM] IRG:  Oral microbiology applications may be assigned to ODCS.  The IDM IRG may be assigned applications where the focus is on the bacteria per se rather than the oral hard and soft tissues.  This may include colonization and mechanisms of pathogenesis, but the two IRGs complement each other in these areas.
  
  
• With the AIDS and Related Research [AARR] IRG:  Studies of oral manifestations of HIV and AIDS should be assigned to the AARR IRG.
  
  
• With the Oncological Sciences [ONC] IRG:  Applications focused on head, neck or oral cancers may be assigned to the ONC IRG.  Studies on pre-neoplatic, dysplastic and hyperplastic lesions and disorders may be assigned to ODCS.
  
  
• With the Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition, and Reproductive Sciences [EMNR] IRG:   Applications that focus upon nutrients, or general nutrition, may be assigned to EMNR IRG.   The effects of nutrients and other food components where oral or dental disease may be a part of the study could be assigned to the EMNR IRG.  Basic, translational or clinical applications with a primary focus on oral and dental disease, where nutrients or general nutrition may be a part of the study may be assigned to ODCS.
  
  
• With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG:  Grant applications focused on dental and craniofacial tissue mechanisms, medical implant materials and devices, or imaging may be assigned to ODCS.   Applications on general biocompatibility and new material development could be assigned to either the BST IRG or SBIB IRG.