I am excited to announce that I was awarded a grant to study Oral Health Disparities in Merced County by the Latino Aging Research Resource Center. I am excited to be a LARRC scholar and work with faculty at UC Davis.
This project seeks to identify oral-health related factors that may contribute to the risk of cognitive impairment among Latinos in rural, low-income counties, through the use of a community-based survey. A growing body of literature has documented the relationship between tooth loss, periodontal disease, and cognitive impairment. Latinos have the highest periodontitis prevalence of all US racial-ethnic groups, placing them at high risk for oral health related diseases, and cognitive impairment. This study will assess oral health status among adult Latinos and non-Latinos in Merced County using self-reported measures. This project will analyze differences in oral health practices between Latinos and non-Latinos, test if there are oral health related disparities between Latinos and non-Latinos, and will seek to identify possible interventions to promote greater levels of oral self care and oral hygiene among Latino residents of Merced County. I will work with both LARRC and HSRI to complete this project via a community engaged research model.
I was particularly excited to present my proposal for the research to the LARRC Latino Health Community Advisory Board this last Monday.
If you are interested in this project, please contact me at mgonzalez82(at)ucmerced(dot)edu.