The Challenge of Preparing Dental PRBN Practitioners for Practice-based Research

Objective: To create a process that encourages practitioners in the Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN) to become certified in Human Participants Protections, receive Institutional Review Board approval as practitioner-investigators, and prepare them to implement practice-based research protocols in their dental practices. 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. Methods: The recruitment of dental practitioners to participate in the DPBRN is carried out by in-person contact, word-of-mouth among colleagues, open invitations by mail, and announcements in local dental journals. Once they have enrolled in the DPBRN, the training required to prepare practitioners to engage in studies is fairly extensive and varies slightly by region. Requirements include completing an enrollment questionnaire, attending or viewing an orientation lecture on what is involved in practice-based research, completing HIPAA and Human Participants Protection training, and meeting specific IRB requirements as well as additional training in implementing research protocols. When a research protocol designed for practice-based research has been approved, those who are eligible for a particular study are trained in the procedures and criteria for that study. Results: Through annual regional meetings, CD presentations, on-line modules, and in-office training we currently have 197 dentists fully trained as practitioner-investigators. By using a variety of training methods we have produced practitioner-investigators and office staff who are capable of active and accurate participation in research involving human subjects. Conclusion: Although variations exist in the different regions of the DPBRN, using a variety of methods is practical and effective in preparing practitioners for practice-based research. Our greatest challenge is overcoming the perceived barrier of extensive time commitment by the dentist. Support NIDCR-NIH U01-DE 16746 and U01-DE 16747.