To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in tabular form details of all dental health research projects receiving funding from his Department; and if he will specify the nature and duration of each project, the name of the principal researcher and the institution at which the work is being carried out.
[holding answer 2 March 1992]: The main agency through which the Government support medical research in this country is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC receives grant-in-aid from this Department, but is an independent body and decides how its money should be spent in the light of its judgment of
| Research institution | Principal researcher | Title of grant | Duration of grant |
| University of Bristol | Professor C. D. Stephens | Development of an expert system for the planning of simple orthodontic treatment | 1 July 1988 to 30 June 1992 |
| University of Leicester | Dr. I. S. Roberts | Molecular analysis of the effect of b. gingivalis secreted protease on pmnl. function and fibroblast proliferation | 1 November 1988 to 31 January 1992 |
| London Hospital Medical College | Dr. H. N. Shan | Nitrogen metabolism of oral spirochaetes involved in periodontal disease | 1 May 1990 to 30 April 1992 |
| University of Leicester | Dr. I. S. Roberts | Molecular approaches to the study of b. gingivalis capsule in attachment and resistance to host defence mechanisms | 1 October 1989 to 30 September 1992. |
| University of Newcastle upon Tyne | Professor J. J. Murray | Clinical and laboratory durability studies of glass polyalkenoate cement and composite resin in paediatric dentistry | 1 October 1990 to 30 September 1993 |
| University of Bristol | Dr. D. F. G. Poole | Formation of carious lesions in dental tissues and caries prevention by fluoride | 1 October 1990 to 30 September 1993 |
| University of Bristol | Dr. R. P. Shellis | Saliva/plaque/tooth equilibria and the reduction of dental caries | 26 November 1990 to 25 November 1993 |
| Queen Mary and Westfield College, London | Professor K. Brocklehurst | Characterisation and physiological function of proteinases produced by the key periodontal pathogens | July 1991 to June 1993 |
| University of Leeds | Dr. C. Robinson | Control of biological apatite crystal growth in a rodent incisor model, implications for enamel hypoplasia | 1 February 1991 to 31 January 1994 |
| University of Sheffield | Mr. I. M. Brook | Ultrastructural and xray microanalytic study of the interface between bone and ceramic or glass ionomer implants | February 1992 to January 1993 |
| Utd. Medical/Dental School Guy's and St. Thomas's, London | Dr. A. M. Edwina Kidd | Assessment of caries activity related to microbiology at the enamel-dentine junction during cavity preparation | August 1991 to July 1992 |
| Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge | Dr. J. J. Reynolds | Cellular control mechanisms in the regulation of connective tissue degradation | 1 April 1982 to 31 March 1993 |
| University of Manchester | Dr. S. L. Schor | Fibroblast heterogeneity and the control of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the oral mucosa | 1 February 1989 to 31 January 1992 |
| University of Newcastle upon Tyne | Dr. R. B. Russell | Dextranases and dextranase inhibitors of mutans streptococci | 26 November 1990 to 25 November 1993 |
| University of Manchester | Dr. P. T. Sharpe | Hox 7.1 Gene expression and tooth development | August 1991 to July 1994 |
| University of Dundee | Mr. G. R. Ogden | Identification of cytokeratin in oral disease, using exfoliative cytology | July 1991 to June 1992 |
priorities, opportunities and quality of research applications. MRC is supporting the following dental research projects:
Research institution
| Principal researcher
| Title of grant
| Duration of grant
|
| Institute of Dental Surgery, London | Dr. Patrizia Ferretti | A molecular approach to the study of jaw regeneration in urodeles | October 1991 to September 1993 |
| Royal College of Surgeons of England, London | Dr. C. T. Teo | Epstein-barr virus genomic activity in the oral cavity of normal and HIV infected individuals | 1 April 1991 to 31 March 1994 |
| University of Liverpool | Professor O. H. Petersen | MRC secretory control group | 1 October 1988 to 30 September 1993 |
| University of Manchester | Professor R. M. Case | Bicarbonate transport and the anionic basis of salivary secretion | 1 July 1989 to 8 November 1992 |
The MRC also supports dental research on a longer term basis at its dental research unit directed by Professor N. W. Johnson at the London Hospital medical college, and through a group of dental researchers on its external scientific staff at the University of Bristol. Their research has been focused as follows:
MRC dental research unit
IGG antibodies to bacteroides gingivalis, b. intermedius, fusobacterium nucleatum and wolinella recta in patients with severe destructive periodontitis.
Detection of IGG antibodies in human sera to outer membrane components of bacteriodes species with reference to protease activity.
Perification and characterisation of bacteroides proteins identified as possible markers of periodontal disease susceptibility or activity.
Interaction of polymorphonuclear leucocytes and specific IGG opsonins to b. gingivalis in patients with severe destructive periodontitis.
Identification of markers of disease activity in gingival crevicular fluid.
Responsiveness of human gingival epithelial cells to inflammatory stimuli.
Statistical methods for data from periodontal research.
A longitudinal cohort study of the natural progression of periodontal breakdown in adults.
MRC dental group (Principal Researcher Dr. D. F. G. Poole)
Fluoride in the oral environment for controlling the initiation and progress of carious lesions.
Physiochemical and biochemical equilibria in the salivaplaque-tooth system.
Research, including dental health research, is also conducted in universities using grants from the Universities Funding Council which is funded by the DES.
Details of specific projects are not held centrally.