Resources for dentists to engage colleagues in the Dental PBRN

Objective: To develop means for Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN; wwwDPBRN.org) practitioner-investigators (p-i's) to educate and involve other practitioners in research. The DPBRN comprises 5 regions: AL/MS: Alabama/Mississippi, FL/GA: Florida/Georgia, HP/MN: dentists employed by HealthPartners and from the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, PDA: Permanente Dental Associates in cooperation with Kaiser Permanente Northwest Research Foundation, and SK: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. This study focused on practitioners from the FL/GA region only. Methods: P-i's have requested prepared resources to facilitate the introduction of the network to colleagues at local dental society, study club, and informal meetings. Input was obtained from practitioners about specific topics to be covered and desired depth of information needed. These topics ranged from the formation and structure of the network to enrollment and required training for participation in the practice-based research studies. Due to the variety of environments in which practitioners have the opportunity to interact with colleagues it was determined that multiple resources should be available. Results: A presentation was developed with cues for presenters to insert personal insights and local results. This non-copyrighted PowerPoint presentation was copied to CD's for distribution to practitioners. Printed materials in the form of a written presentation and a 1-page flyer were also developed as support or stand alone material to encourage presentation in a variety of situations. Conclusion: Prepared presentations were developed to provide support for members of the DPBRN to fully engage in the research process by educating and informing colleagues about practice-based research and promoting participation in the DPBRN. Support NIDCR-NIH U01-DE 16746 and U01-DE 16747.