A Longitudinal Controlled Study To Prevent Early Childhood Caries From Ages 0-6 Years In A Disadvantaged Community In Queensland
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$695,788.00
Summary
Rampant dental decay in young children is very difficult to prevent. The study will follow a group of high risk children from birth to 6 years of age to test the effectiveness of antibacterial and remineralising agents to prevent dental decay. Our early results showed that these agents have good potential for removing decay-causing bacteria and preventing dental cavities. We expect our long term results will yield valuable information for dental prevention for young children worldwide.
Minimally Invasive Approach To Manage Early Childhood Caries In Aboriginal Preschoolers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,488,220.00
Summary
The treatment of dental decay in young children is often undertaken in a hospital, which is costly and risky. A treatment approach tested among a non-Aboriginal preschool population in WA, using hand instruments only and without the use of local anaesthesia, showed nearly a ten-fold reduction in the need for specialist dental care. This study will test the effectiveness of dental treatment of preschool children in rural and remote Aboriginal communities, using the alternative approach.
Does Teriparatide Reverse Osteonecrosis Of The Jaw In Patients With Cancer? A Randomised, Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,412.00
Summary
Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is debilitating and associated with drugs that increase bone strength and reduce the bone remodeling rate (bisphosphonates or denosumab). Up to 15% of patients with bone marrow cancer and 1 out of 952 patients with osteoporosis treated with bisphosphonates may get ONJ. This 8-week trial of subcutaneous teriparatide (a hormone that forms new bone) or placebo injections aims to promote resolution of ONJ, measured clinically and by x-ray, and improve quality of life.
How Are Periodontal Disease And Rheumatoid Arthritis Inter-related?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$563,262.00
Summary
Periodontal (gum) disease and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases affecting humans. These two diseases have remarkably similar patterns of tissue destruction. It is possible that chronic periodontitis may prime or predispose susceptible individuals to developing rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment of periodontal disease may help reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.
Intergenerational Change In Oral Health In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$566,827.00
Summary
Australia's population is ageing and Australians are retaining more teeth in later life. It is expected that as life expectancy increases, more years of life are spend in good health, with disease and disability being postponed to later years of life. No evidence is available to test the compression of morbidity hypothesis in relation to oral health in older Australians. This study will test whether these changes have resulted in more years in good oral health in an elderly population.
Airway Epithelial Barrier Function, Asthma And Aero-allergen Sensitization.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$527,886.00
Summary
There is a strong association between allergy and asthma. This association been almost universally assumed to be causative. However, recent evidence suggests an alternative explanation ie., that the abnormal epithelium in asthma allows or facilitates sensitization to airborne allergens. This project will test this alternative hypothesis using human lung tissue and an animal model.
Bisphosphonate Treatment Of Childhood Femoral Head Avascular Necrosis Due To Perthes Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,368,242.00
Summary
Perthes disease (PD) occurs following loss of blood supply to the hip (femoral head). It is a severe childhood disorder with over 250 new cases per year in Australia. PD results in flattening of the normally round femoral head and painful arthritis. The hip becomes flat because the bone is eaten by cells called osteoclasts. We will test if a medicine aimed at stopping these osteoclasts can prevent hip flattening. This should decrease the risk of arthritis and the need for hip replacement.
The Clinical Impact Of Event-based Motion Correction In Paediatric PET-CT Brain Imaging
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,104.00
Summary
Movement of the head during PET-CT brain imaging can prevent accurate diagnosis by blurring and distorting the image. The problem is perhaps most acute in paediatric patients, many of whom must be anaesthetized or sedated to avoid motion. This work will establish whether a recently developed motion correction method can improve the clinical utility of PET-CT brain images in young patients, and reduce the need for sedation and anaesthesia during the PET scan.
Systems Biology Of Asthma Development In Early Childhood
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,800.00
Summary
Recent studies have established that both human genetic susceptibility and viral infections during early childhood are important drivers of asthma development. It has also been noted that asthmatics’ airways are colonized with different bacteria to non-asthmatics. In this project we will examine how genetic susceptibility and interactions between bacteria and viruses in children's airways promote the development of allergy and asthma.
This study will follow up a birth cohort for 25 years with the aim of looking at critical periods for bone development including the role of in utero exposures, early infancy, age 8 and age 16.