Shaping the future

(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)

DR. ISHITA Singh and Dr. Leah Leinbach are practicing dentists.

Between them, they have treated children with special needs and prepared patients with oral infections for invasive heart surgeries.

They are now in a different world of dental public health. Instead of treating individual patients, they focus on preventing oral diseases and promoting oral health in communities through surveillance, research, public health education campaigns, policy development, and dental care programs.

They are the first to join the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research’s (NIDCR) newly expanded Dental Public Health Research Fellowship program. The NIDCR is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Both dentists are aware of issues that made their patients vulnerable to oral diseases. These observations, and their desire to address oral health challenges on a community level, provide them with the right perspectives for the Fellowship Program.

Dr. Singh, who is originally from India and most recently worked as an oral health researcher in Utah, is aware that socioeconomic status, gender, race and ethnicity, and environmental toxins weighed on the oral health of her patients.

Dr. Leinbach, who previously provided hospital-based oral health care at two large academic medical centers in the United States, has seen that financial barriers and limited access to information about oral health made it difficult for many of her patients to be truly healthy.

“My patients were going right back into the same routine and environment that contributed to oral health problems in the first place,” said Dr. Leinbach. “So I thought there was an opportunity to tackle the problems from a different perspective – through dental public health.”

Dr. Leinbach is interested in integrating oral health care with the broader health care system through policy and management.

Dr. Singh wants to better serve patients from groups that have been socially marginalized, such as those with special needs and those from the LGBTQ+ community. This way, she wants to reduce oral health inequalities.

Both hope to come out of the fellowship program as board-certified dental public health specialists and establish themselves as independent researchers.

The fellowship is designed to equip dental professionals with the knowledge and skills to carry out population-level research aimed at improving the oral health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities.

Fellows complete a one-year dental public health residency followed by a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship.

As part of their training, fellows visit government and nonprofit public health organizations to learn about the various types of work in the field. They will embed with an organization of their choice to gain practical experience in community-level research and program implementation.

The two dentist-scientists will learn how to tackle system-wide challenges faced by their patients.

The fellows are already benefiting from NIDCR’s resources. They have connected, for example, with experts in the field for career advice and insights into their research.

“The environment and people are really important for career growth, and we’re surrounded by the best at NIDCR,” said Dr. Leinbach.

Not surprisingly, both fellows are excited about their scientific work.

          “We received training on how to do a literature search one week into the program, and that’s something I was never formally taught but was often expected to know,” said Dr. Singh.

It’s not just research skills. The program enhances professional development by offering communications and leadership training.

“That speaks a lot about the training provided by NIH, there is an immense potential of expanding your knowledge and skillset,” Dr. Singh said. “You’re at a place where you can truly make an impact.”

“Over the past two years, we’ve all lived through a public health emergency and witnessed the power of institutions and the public’s faith in them. It’s really an honor to be here to help shape the future of oral health and health in general.”

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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists;  Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.

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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; Member, American Academy of Implant Dentistry and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com./PN