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Health

Grant to Examine Late-Life Oral Health

By Athan Bezaitis on October 26, 2009 2:58 PM

  • Grant to Examine Late-Life Oral Health
  • Jung Ki Kim

Jung Ki Kim, research assistant professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, has received a $448,061 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to examine oral health and healthy aging.

Her research will build on evidence that a high rate of early-age oral health problems such as tooth decay, tooth loss and other oral disorders, such as dry mouth and difficulty swallowing, lead to premature aging in disadvantaged populations.

“We will be analyzing life expectancy based on oral health indicators such as years of life without periodontal disease and years of life with natural teeth,” Kim said. “We are particularly interested in looking at the link between some biological risk factors and oral health, including indicators of inflammatory, immune and metabolic system processes, and bone density.”

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2006 and 1988-1994, which provides detailed dental records, Kim will study how factors such as race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, health care use and availability, chronic health conditions, psychological and cognitive characteristics and biological risk factors lead to oral health problems later in life and how they are linked to premature aging.

“We will develop a complex model that explains mechanisms by which oral aging is related to health in later life,” she said.

Kim plans to hire two full-time researchers and a part-time research assistant with the funding.

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