Corporate Sponsor-Related Research

The Office of Clinical Research is comprised of an administrative, laboratory, and clinical component.  The administrative staff provides support for writing and reviewing contracts, protocols, human subject applications, budgets, grants management, and acts as a liaison between the sponsor and the University. 

OCR has its own laboratory staff and facilities for a variety of pre-clinical services.  Many of our clinical trials require clinical samples to be prepared before or after they are used in the clinic, including:

• Implants:  In-house expertise in advanced ceramic and implant restorations;
• Cariology: The ability to make artificial dental cavities for use in a clinical crown model;
• Restorative Materials: For fabrication of a variety of restorations; and
• Microbial Research: Plaque formation and DNA sequencing.

 The Dental Clinical Research Center (DCRC) is the outpatient clinic of the Office of Clinical Research, and is conveniently located on the main floor of the Dental College.   We interface with The University of Iowa's NIH sponsored General Clinical Research Center, which is a part of The University of Iowa College of Medicine.

The Dental Clinical Research Center (DCRC) has:

• DCRC staff: a staff dentist, two full-time dental assistants, and a clinical coordinator who provides clinical trial management services for each phase in a protocol;
• Seven completely outfitted operatories;
• A private reception area;
• Appointment desk;
• Secured storage for dispensing materials committed to clinical studies; and
• Full access to the College of Dentistry's computerized patient record system.

DCRC provides a private area for participants to receive a comprehensive review of informed consent documentation for each clinical trial.

If requested, two demonstration operatories are available within the College of Dentistry for video taping, surgical demonstration and digital recording of patient care.

Community-Based Research

OCR strives to reach beyond the College of Dentistry to integrate the clinic's expertise into special population communities.  For instance, past outreach studies have involved interventions to prevent dental decay for children enrolled in the Head Start programs. We use the Geriatric Mobile Unit (GMU) to provide care for outreach clinical trials located throughout eastern Iowa.  This gives us the capability to provide high quality care to those who have little or no mobility to visit the Dental Clinical Research Center.  In addition, we research quality of life issues of medically compromised adults and issues involving geriatric patient care.

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