# Social determinants of health and its impact on the interconnectedness between dental and systemic disease in women

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $158,749

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The purpose of this administrative supplement proposal is to expand the studies in our parent project
R03DE033541-01, Leveraging All of Us data to unravel the interconnectedness between dental and systemic
disease. In the parent project, we are conducting a large-scale study leveraging and integrating high-quality
clinical (dental and medical), genomic, and demographic data available from >250,000 participants in the All of
Us Research Program (AoU) to identify host factors most likely contributing to a combined phenotype of dental
+ systemic disease. For this administrative supplement, we propose to expand the above studies to include AoU
participant survey data and employ an intersectional approach incorporating analyses of lifestyle, health care
access and utilization, and other social determinants of health (SDOH), in order to identify the SDOH domains
most likely to intersect with the dental and systemic conditions being assessed on the parent project, with a focus
on women’s health. Several lines of evidence have shown that SDOH are linked to differences in prevalence of
oral and systemic disease and reduced opportunities for health and health-related quality of life, particularly in
women. However, there is a lack of studies integrating individual biological (e.g., genomic, sex at birth), and
nonbiological (e.g. SDOH) aspects thereby precluding our ability to understand the full spectrum of the common
causes and pathways of dental/systemic disease and their interactions as contributors to differential disease
predisposition or manifestation. Here, we will test the hypothesis that non-biological SDOH factors may intersect
with biological sex to influence disease predisposition and/or clinical manifestation. We will integrate SDOH data
available for the AoU participants that are being used in our parent project to the clinical and genomic data
obtained and apply a multidimensional analysis framework to explore the intersectional effects of biological and
non-biological (SDOH) factors and contributing to a combined phenotype of dental + systemic disease in males
and females. This study represents a major advance in the field by creating a roadmap for integrating clinical,
genomic, demographic and survey data from a large and diverse population in the AoU program to develop a
more comprehensive picture of the factors contributing to oral and systemic health/disease relationships between
the sexes. This proposal addresses the Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women’s Health Research goal #1
Advancing rigorous research, and the NIDCR’s Strategic Priorities #1 Integrate Oral and General Health, and #2
Precision Dental Medicine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11019087
- **Project number:** 3R03DE033541-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Ariadne M Letra
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $158,749
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2024-09-23 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11019087

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11019087, Social determinants of health and its impact on the interconnectedness between dental and systemic disease in women (3R03DE033541-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11019087. Licensed CC0.

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