2004 Research Oral Health Agenda for Hispanics Workshop

HDA Hosts “Latino Oral Health Issues:
A Research Agenda for the 21st Century” Workshop
at 2004 Annual Meeting 

The purpose of this workshop was to engage and empower participants in developing a tool that can be used for advocacy and funding of research on Latino Oral Health, thereby promoting a research agenda for the 21st century.  The workshop was the first ever of its kind to take place in the context of the Hispanic Dental Associations annual conference.  Planning Committee included Drs. Francisco Ramos-Gomez, Augusto Elias-Boneta, Gustavo D. Cruz,  Maria Teresa Canto, and Lydia Lopez del Valle. 

Sponsored in part by the University of Puerto Rico and Colgate-Palmolive, the workshop was a tremendous success attracting 65 participants, representing academicians, students, policy makers and researchers.  In all, 21 universities were represented from all regions of the country.  The workshop included a morning session that provided a research update on Latinos in the US.  The morning session agenda included the following presentations:

Welcoming Remarks  Dr. Augusto Elias Boneta
Introduction Dr. Francisco Ramos-Goméz
Session I -  Latinos in the U.S. – Research Update
     Oral Health Status of Latinos in the U.S. Presented by  Dr. Clemencia Vargas
     Oral Health Research – NIDCR Perspective  Presented by Dr. Ruth Nowjack Raymer
     Population Based Studies  —   Dr. Phil Weinstein
     Social and Behavioral Sciences —   Dr. Gustavo Cruz
     Gene Environment Interactions —    Dr. Margherita Fontana
     Health Promotion and Communications —   Mr. Carlos Ugarte

Following a question and answer session with the presenters, participants participated in one of four breakout groups to develop the research agenda.  The four groups included

Group I    Population Based Studies Dr. Ramos/ Dr. Weinstein
Group II   Social and Behavioral Sciences and Health Pro motion and Communications
                       Dr. Maria Rosa Watson / Dr. Cruz/Dr. Canto / Mr. Ugarte
Group III  Gene Environment Interactions  Dr. Fontana /Dr. Morell
Group IV  Research Training and Workforce Dr. Elias /Dr. Katz

Each group was asked to identify the research gaps and issues for their topic.  Groups then identified the research priorities, resources or strategies that should be part of the research agenda, selecting the top three priorities that should be included in recommendations for a research agenda for their topic.

Each group reported out, describing the process and themes that emerged from the group as they answered these questions.  Once each group reported out, the workshop concluded with the identification of next steps and a summarization of the research agenda developed.  Proceedings are currently being edited for submission as a journal article. 

In essence this final outcome will be the development of the First Oral Health Research Agenda for Latinos in the US.