Following inception in 2005 as a multiregional practice-based research network (PBRN), the “National Dental PBRN” expanded nationwide in 2012, and in 2019 implemented additional organizational changes. The objectives are to: (1) describe the new structure and function of the network; and (2) quantify its scientific productivity since 2005.

A national Administrative and Resource Center is based in Alabama; regional and specialty nodes are based in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, New York, and Texas. A Network Coordinating Center is based in Oregon. Studies are funded via investigator-initiated grants. Scientific productivity is assessed using specific metrics, including the Relative Citation Ratio.

To date, 58 studies have been completed or are in data collection or development. These studies have investigated a broad range of topics using a wide variety of study designs. Of the studies that have completed enrollment, 70,665 patients were enrolled, as were 19,827 practitioners (some participated in multiple studies), plus electronic records for 790,493 patients in two data-only studies. To date, these studies have led to 193 peer-reviewed scientific publications in 62 different journals. The mean (1.40) Relative Citation Ratio of Network publications connotes a greater-than-average influence in their fields.

These metrics demonstrate that the PBRN research context can successfully engage practitioners and patients from diverse settings nationally with a high and sustained level of scientific productivity. This infrastructure has enabled clinical scientists in oral health and nonoral health topics and provided additional recruitment venues outside of the typical academic health center research context.

Poor oral health influences the dietary quality of older individuals. The objective of the present study was to relate the number of teeth to adherence to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans among an ethnically diverse sample of older adults.

A block cluster design was used to obtain a sample of older adults. Data were weighted to census data for ethnicity and gender. Dietary intakes were assessed using an FFQ and converted into Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) scores.

Two counties in North Carolina, USA, with large African-American and American Indian populations.

Community-dwelling older adults (N 635).

Three hundred and twenty-six participants had severe tooth loss (0–10 teeth remaining), compared with 305 participants with 11+ teeth. After controlling for socio-economic factors, those with 0–10 teeth had lower total HEI-2005 scores and consumed less Total Fruit, Meat and Beans, and Oils, and more energy from Solid Fat, Alcohol and Added Sugar, compared with those with 11+ teeth. Less than 1 % of those with 0–10 teeth and 4 % of those with 11+ teeth met overall HEI-2005 recommendations. Those with 0–10 teeth were less likely to eat recommended amounts of Total Vegetables, Dark Green and Orange Vegetables, and energy from Solid Fat, Alcohol and Added Sugar.

Older adults with severe tooth loss are less likely than those with moderate to low tooth loss to meet current dietary recommendations. Nutrition interventions for older adults should take oral health status into consideration and include strategies that specifically address this as a barrier to healthful eating.