Genetic Factors Contributing to Oral Health Disparities in Appalachia: Focus on Dental Caries

The speaker is presently on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh, serving as the Associate Dean for Research in the School of Dental Medicine, Director of the Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Oral Biology (School of Dental Medicine). She has secondary appointments in the Department of Human Genetics, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Marazita has served on several NIH working groups and steering committees over the years and is currently serving on council. Currently, Dr. Marazita's research focuses on the human genetics of complex traits, specifically, birth defects (primarily cleft lip, cleft palate and other craniofacial anomalies), oral health, preterm birth, and other complex phenotypes. Dr. Marazita investigates the familial patterns of complex disorders, with a view to identifying the etiologic genes in both U.S. and international populations. A major current focus is statistical analyses and genetic mapping studies of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in China; India; Guatemala; Spain; Hungary; and various sites in the U.S. A second major focus is the topic of today's talk: investigating factors contributing to oral health disparities, for example genetic, microbiological and epidemiological factors contributing to caries and other oral health phenotypes in Appalachia.