Oral Health Influences Among Emerging Adult Women of Central and South American ancestry

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section Oral diseases are among the most common chronic conditions of humankind; their origins can often be traced to economic and behavioral circumstances much earlier in life. Frequently overlooked are key life transitions when behaviors and circumstances are especially fluid and potentially malleable with appropriately tailored interventions. Emerging adulthood (the transitional period from adolescence to adulthood) is one such life stage that has garnered limited attention in oral health research. Emerging adulthood is a particularly sensitive period marked by changes in economic stressors, health risk factors, and potential protective opportunities as young people enter new circumstances. This proposed project combines detailed measures of economic, social, and behavioral factors with high-quality assessments of oral and systemic health in a diverse, prospective emerging adult cohort. We will examine potential interactions by ancestry and sex and the specific behavioral pathways connecting economic factors to disease risk, potentially revealing health promotion opportunities during this formative developmental period. Indeed, such insight informs a long-term objective to test how acquired access to economic opportunity afforded by higher education impacts the trajectory of oral diseases, including among those from different backgrounds. This proposal leverages the NHLBI-supported Economic and Educational Contributions to Emerging Adults' Cardiometabolic Health (“3E”) cohort study of first-year college students from two public universities. This proposal augments rich prospective economic and behavioral data with oral health-specific risk factors and self-reported and objective measures oral health. Specifically, this project will: Aim 1. Examine the influences of early adulthood economic stressors on oral health over time, including as potentially modified by ancestry and sex. Aim 2. Examine the contributions of education-related opportunities (e.g., academic engagement programming, basic needs supports, social capital) as protective factors against adverse oral health outcomes (e.g., service non-utilization, gingival inflammation). Aim 3. Assess the mechanistic role of health-related behaviors in linking economic stressors and education-related opportunities to oral health outcomes. Emerging adulthood, a transition period in health behaviors and economic opportunity, is a potential pivot point in the development of chronic diseases. Understanding influences of oral diseases near their emergence will inform more effective oral disease prevention efforts. Project Number: 3U01DE033953-02S1 | Fiscal Year: 2025 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) | Principal Investigator: Benjamin Chaffee | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN FRANCISCO, CA | Award Amount: $235,954 | Activity Code: U01 | Study Section: ZDE1(12) View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11262644