Centre for Oral Health Research (COHR)
The Centre for Oral Health Research (COHR), established in 2010, is a multi-disciplinary, cross-faculty research centre. Our mission is to generate research of international excellence that leads to new scientific knowledge and improvements in disease prevention and patient care relevant to societal need.
Research themes are:
- molecular and cellular basis for specific oral and related diseases
- oral health services research
- biomaterials and biological interfaces
We have a particular focus on understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms and translating these into clinical settings. Evaluation of clinical, community and economic strategies to improve public health and inform a wider health agenda is a central research theme.
Research is mainly carried out in dedicated laboratory facilities which comprise a laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biosciences, a Dental Materials lab, a Hard Tissue lab and a Fluoride Research lab.
The newly built Dental Clinical Research Facility (CRF), is the focus for our clinical research. The CRF facilitates access to patients via the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the juxtaposition of specialised laboratories enhances our translational research programmes.
Our staff play a significant role in oral health research and policy development at national and international levels. The growing ageing population is a social and economic challenge and oral health is a key component of healthy ageing. Our strategy is to focus our research in this, and related areas of high public health significance. Much of our research is multi-disciplinary and in many cases we take a life-course approach.
We are fully integrated within the Societal Change Themes of the University. Principle investigators have important roles within the main research institutes of the Faculty of Medical Sciences including:
- Institute for Ageing and Health
- Institute of Health and Society
- Institute of Cellular Medicine
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences
- Institute of Genetic Medicine
- Northern Institute for Cancer Research
Research training is fundamental to our activities and, in addition to well-developed postgraduate programmes towards PhDs and Masters level awards, we also support undergraduate research projects, vacation scholarships and intercalated degree programmes for dental students.
