History
The South Texas Oral Health Network (STOHN), established in 2008, is supported by the Institute of Integration of Medicine and Science’s Practice Based Research Network Center at UT Health San Antonio. STOHN’s mission is to generate evidence that matters in dentistry by developing the research infrastructure for generating practical, timely information that can be used by dental practitioners to enhance the quality and efficacy of oral health care.
STOHN consists of 304 network members who are dental practitioners or dental hygienists from 57 counties in Texas. Over the years, STOHN has been involved in studies relating to health literacy, dentists’ and patients’ willingness to participate in finger-stick blood glucose assessments, prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes among dental patients, barriers to care, probiotics for oral health, smokeless tobacco, resources and solutions for in-office tobacco cessation counseling and bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. With numerous publications and presentations under its belt, STOHN members have presented at UT Health San Antonio’s Dental Grand Rounds, the Dental Science Symposium, Translational Advisory Board Annual Meetings, Academy of General Dentistry, Frontiers Research Day at UTHSA, and at the IIMS Community Engagement Symposium.
Past Research Project Topics
- Probiotics for oral health
- Prevalence of Molar – Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH)
- Oral Cancer Knowledge Assessment
- Dental practitioners’ knowledge and perceptions of BONJ
- South Texas dietary effects on tooth structure
- Effects of sleep disorders on teeth
- Behavioral management and dental phobia
- Oral health and violence exposure
- Socioeconomic considerations with regards to dentistry
- Dry mouth
- Dental materials
- Factors affecting implant survival
- Obesity and its effects on oral health
- Relationship between wound healing, implant integration, and bisphosphonates
- Sudden tooth decay in elderly populations
- Endodontic failure associated with obturation materials and techniques
- Controversy over restorative materials
- Failure of in-office CAD-CAM crowns versus traditional gold PFM