# Leveraging health systems' data to address oral health disparities

> **NIH NIH K01** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2024 · $156,589

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Poor oral health is a national symbol of social inequity, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
Despite its profound impact on overall well-being, oral health remains disjointed from medical care delivery. As
a result, vulnerable adults often resort to emergency departments (ED) for treatment of non-traumatic dental
conditions (NTDCs), leading to suboptimal care, clinician frustration, increased ED crowding, and high health
costs. The purpose of this proposal is to use electronic health record (EHR) data to better identify adults likely to
seek treatment in EDs for NTDCs. Aim 1, Leverage multi-health systems’ EHR data to predict ED use for NTDCs,
will use EHR data from multiple hospital systems and novel social determinants of health data (measured at the
individual- and community-level) in a series of advanced machine learning (ML) prediction models. This aim will
identify the value of medical and social determinants data in predicting oral health needs. Aim 2, Extract oral
health predictors from the clinical notes of medical encounters that occur prior to ED use, will apply natural
language processing techniques to create novel data reflective of medical care providers’ documentation of oral
health. This aim will create new data for use in prediction modeling. Aim 3, Assess the feature importance within,
and the predictive performance of, ML prediction models built on structured and unstructured EHR data, will test
the contributions of unstructured and structured data source in prediction models designed to identify adults at
risk of using the ED for NTDCs. Furthermore, the mentorship and rigorous training plan proposed in this career
development award application will enable Dr. Heather Taylor to become an independent investigator capable
of using advanced health informatics approaches to enhance the delivery of oral health services, particularly for
underserved populations. To achieve her career goals, Dr. Taylor seeks 1) technical training in the application
of machine-learning, including natural language processing, 2) knowledge development in health disparities
research, and 3) enhanced professional development and grant writing skills. Dr. Taylor has assembled a
diverse, interdisciplinary panel of mentors to foster her proposed career development and research plan. She is
supported by a resource-rich institutional environment with access to one of the nation’s oldest and largest
clinical EHR data repositories. This study is innovative because it utilizes data collected outside of traditional
dental care settings to provide health systems with actionable information about adults in their community who
need support navigating the oral-medical divide. The anticipated products of this research include the
development and validation of risk prediction models that identify patients who experience poor oral health and
require targeted support. After completion, Dr. Taylor plans to transition to research in...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10948451
- **Project number:** 1K01DE033998-01
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather Lynn Taylor
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $156,589
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10948451

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10948451, Leveraging health systems' data to address oral health disparities (1K01DE033998-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10948451. Licensed CC0.

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