Latino oral health: A research agenda toward eliminating oral health disparities.
BACKGROUND
The Hispanic population has become the largest minority group in the United States, resulting in an increase in oral health care demands. Developing a research agenda and promoting collaboration on Latino oral health issues are crucial.


METHODS
The Hispanic Dental Association and the University of Puerto Rico, School of Dentistry, San Juan, convened a workshop of health care providers and other experts to examine the current state of Hispanic oral health research and identify gaps in existing data and research methods. Participants were asked to break out into small groups to discuss research priorities.


RESULTS
The participants discussed the following research areas: population-based studies, social and behavioral sciences, health promotion and communications, gene-environment interactions, and research training and workforce development. Participants emphasized the importance of understanding variations among subgroups within the Hispanic population in the development of future studies.


CONCLUSIONS
Participants recommended collaborative research studies to advance existing oral disease prevention and oral health promotion efforts, with a stronger focus on the development of a multidisciplinary pipeline of researchers participating in Latino oral health research to address the growing needs of this population. Practice Implications. Building an infrastructure for research training and workforce development would supply researchers with the necessary tools to develop new studies that could affect the overall oral health of the Latino population. The translation and dissemination of these research findings will benefit clinicians by leading to a better understanding of new trends and specific population needs, as well as appropriate targeted interventions.
Ramos-Gomez
Francisco
F
Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif, 94143-0753, USA. ramos@itsa.ucsf.edu
Cruz
Gustavo D
GD
Watson
Maria Rosa
MR
Canto
Maria Teresa
MT
Boneta
Augusto Elias
AE
D001525:Behavioral Sciences; D003142:Communication; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003729:Dental Care; D004777:Environment; D006292:Health Priorities; D006293:Health Promotion; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups; D009909:Oral Health; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012942:Social Sciences; D014481:United States