Scope of Research

The Kornberg School of Dentistry Center for Public Health and Behavioral Sciences Research is a cross-disciplinary and collaborative research center with diverse faculty expertise in fields of dental medicine such as biostatistics, cariology, dental public health, oral epidemiology and psychology.

Research in this medical center is focused on the

• study of preventive dentistry, which concentrates on procedures and practices that help patients avoid the development of oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease.
• behavioral aspects of oral diseases, including the experience and expression of pain among adult and pediatric patients, and factors associated with dental anxiety and its management.
• conduct of social epidemiology studies, with analysis of the social determinants that contribute to disparities in oral and dental health and access to care.
• use of artificial intelligence and machine learning applications for modelling oral health outcomes

The center also participates in a number of collaborations funded in part by the Health Resources & Services Administration, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. This work includes partnerships with the following departments at Temple and external organizations.

• Center for Obesity Research and Education
• Department of Psychology
• Pennsylvania Coalition of Oral Health
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
• College of Public Health

Research development is supported within the School of Dentistry Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry and the postgraduate Residency in Dental Public Health programs.

Faculty

Recent Funding

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research NIDCR
"ICPSR Sequential Modeling for Prediction of Periodontal Diseases: an intra-Collaborative Practice-based Research Study".
Role: PI (Tellez)
Amount: $3,568,695

Colgate Palmolive Inc.
"The effect of a cognitive behavioral approach to reducing gingivitis and dental plaque in adolescents"
2022-2024
Role: Co-PI (Dunne E)-Subcontract
Amount: $171,713

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
“U01 Clinical Trial or Biomarker Clinical Evaluation Study Planning Grant- Dental Anxiety Treatment among Patients in a University Clinic Setting”
August 2018–July 2023
Role: PI (Tellez), Co-PI (Dunne)
Amount: $2,591,834

Jessie Ball DuPont Fund
“Community-based Dental Services for at risk children less than 5 years of age in North Philadelphia”
March 2018–December 2021
Role: PI (Tellez)
Amount: $95,191

Project for Dental Students, US DHHS/HRSA
“Patient Care, Population Health and Community-based Training”
July 2017–June 2022
Role: PI (Tellez)
Amount: $1,559,006

Colgate Palmolive Company
“Project CASA”
February 2017–April 2019
Role: PI (Tellez)
Amount: $188,000

Jessie Ball DuPont Fund 
“Integrated Health Care Model for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing” 
August 2020–August 2021
Role: PI (Tellez)
Amount: $75,000

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
“Tai Chi intervention to improve chronic pain management for adults with HIV”
April 2019–March 2024
Role: PI (Dunne)
Amount: $820,554

News

Leverett Graduate Student Merit Award

Congratulations to Dr. Priya Dey on receiving an honorable mention for the Leverett Graduate Student Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dental Public Health for her paper titled: "Comparison of Traditional Regression Modeling vs. AI Modeling for the Prediction of Dental Caries."

Nutrition Counseling for Obesity Prevention: Dental Applications (Training Module)

As part of the Center for Public Health and Behavioral Sciences Research's focus on obesity research and education, Kornberg faculty developed this video training module to assist in the understanding of obesity and its causes in children.

Oral Health Advocacy Toolkit

In 2017, faculty from the Department of Oral Health Science collaborated with the Childrens’ Dental Health Project to develop an Oral Health Advocacy Toolkit. This toolkit provides guidance to academic programs interested in integrating oral health advocacy training into their dental curriculum.

Nutrition Counseling and Obesity Prevention Handbook

In collaboration with the Center for Obesity Research and Education, Kornberg’s faculty developed the Nutrition Counseling and Obesity Prevention Handbook, designed to increase knowledge and skills around childhood obesity prevention, healthy nutrition and dietary counseling.

Selected Publications

Konneker, E., Singh, D., Tellez, M., Ismail, A., & Dunne, E. M. (2025). A mixed methods exploration of the origin of dental anxiety and coping strategies among participants in a behavioral intervention for dental anxiety. Frontiers in Oral Health, 6, 1589764. https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2025.1589764 

Moorhead, L., Harrington, E. G., McQuistan, M., Shukla, A., Martinez Mier, E. A., Syme, S., & Moncrieffe Foreman, M. (2025). Librarians, dentists, journalists, and undergrads: A case study implementing a journalism teaching hospital within marginalized communities. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776958251360340 

Shukla, A., Amrutham, B. V., & Manchanda, S. (2025). Variability in the utilization of preventive dental services among the underserved population of Indiana. PLOS ONE, 20(11), e0337471. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337471 

Shukla, A., Yalamanchi, S., Tamayo-Cabeza, G., Albright, A., Weber, Z. A., & Newton, A. D. (2025). An interprofessional model to improve LGBTQ+ specific cultural competence in dental and pharmacy students. PLOS ONE, 20(1), e0313492. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313492 

Stone, L. H., & Dunne, E. M. (2025). Engagement in professional societies among younger generations of dentists. Pennsylvania Dental Journal, 92, 10–13. 

Tellez, M., Dunne, E. M., Konneker, E., Zhao, H., & Ismail, A. I. (2025). Online cognitive behavioral intervention to manage dental anxiety: A 12-month randomized clinical trial. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 53(5), 543–555. 

Tuohy, B., Dunne, E. M., Tellez, M., & Jones, N. (2025). Oral health disparities and bridging gaps in dental education: A call for enhanced ethics training and community engagement. Community Dental Health, 42, 265539X251363376. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265539X251363376 

Alhaffar, S., Yalamanchi, S., & Shukla, A. (2024). Association of self-reported periodontal disease and inequities with long haul COVID-19. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0311644. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0311644 

Collins, B. N., Dunne, E. M., & Bellizzi, K. M. (2024). Behavioral medicine strategies for addressing mental health and substance use disorders in the wake of the pandemic. Translational Behavioral Medicine, Virtual Special Issue. 

Dey, P., Ogwo, C., & Tellez, M. (2024). Comparison of traditional regression modeling vs. AI modeling for the prediction of dental caries: A secondary data analysis. Frontiers in Oral Health, 5, 1322733. https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1322733 

Dunne, E. M., Mitchell, C., McTigue, G., Rosen, R. K., Yeh, G., & Carey, M. P. (2024). Qualitative insights regarding the use of Tai Chi for pain management among adults with HIV. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health, 13, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/27536130241234567 

Kim, J., Roy, I., Martinez-Mier, E. A., Shukla, A., & Weir, P. (2024). Impact of lack of transportation on access to dental care. Heliyon, 10(23), e40657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40657 

Shukla, A., Amrutham, B. V., & Albright, A. (2024). Comparison of clinical independence level scores among predoctoral dental students between dental school clinic and community clinic rotation. Journal of Dental Education, 88(11), 1565–1572. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13803 

Shukla, A., & Amrutham, B. V. (2024). Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on dental student's performance across disciplines during community site rotations: A comparative analysis. Journal of Dental Education, 88(9), 1282–1289. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13707 

Tamayo-Cabeza, G., Albright, A., Yalamanchi, S., Newton, A. D., Weber, Z. A., & Shukla, A. (2024). Assessing gaps in predoctoral dental curriculum for LGBTQ+ specific content. Journal of Dental Education, 88(9), 1218–1226. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13720 

Aldukhail, S., Shukla, A., Khadra, M. T., Al Hennawi, Z., Jordan, S., Cadet, T. J., et al. (2023). Oral and emotional health experience of refugees in Massachusetts—A mixed methods approach. PLOS ONE, 18(3), e0281361. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281361 

Dreyer, M., Shukla, A., Sabadee, J., Bibireddy, M., Borner, K., Thyvalikakath, T., & Simon, K. (2023). Opioid prescriptions prior to emergency department dental visits: A comparison of dental health professional shortage areas (DPSAs) and non-DPSAs using electronic health records. Inquiry, 60, 469580231218440. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231218440 

Lim, S., Tellez, M., & Ismail, A. I. (2023). Emotional distress and risk of dental caries—Evaluating effect modification by chronic conditions among low income African American caregivers in Detroit, Michigan. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1050511. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1050511 

Patel, J. S., Patel, K., Vo, H., Jiannan, L., Tellez, M., Albandar, J., & Wu, H. (2023). Enhancing an AI-empowered periodontal CDSS and comparing with traditional perio-risk assessment tools. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 2022, 846–855. 

Dey, A. K., Ennis, N., Cheng, D. M., Blokhina, E., Raj, A., Quinn, E., Bendiks, S., Palfai, T., Dunne, E. M., Cook, R. L., & Krupitsky, E. (2022). Impulsivity and linkage to HIV care among people living with HIV in St. Petersburg, Russia. AIDS and Behavior, 26(12), 4126–4134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03731-4 

Dunne, E. M., Rosen, R. K., McTigue, G. L., Jamison, R. N., Yeh, G. Y., Rich, J. D., & Carey, M. P. (2022). The lived experience of managing HIV and chronic pain: Qualitative interviews with patients and healthcare providers. AIDS and Behavior, 26(2), 496–511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03373-9 

Patel, J. S., Brandon, R., Tellez, M., Albandar, J. M., Rao, R., Krois, J., & Wu, H. (2022). Developing automated computer algorithms to phenotype periodontal disease diagnoses in electronic dental records. Methods of Information in Medicine, 61(S02), e125–e133. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1757880 

Patel, J. S., Rao, R., Joachim, K., Tellez, M., Albandar, J., & Wu, H. (2022, February). Natural language processing applications to extract periodontal disease and medical history information from electronic dental records. ACM Conference. 

Patel, J. S., Su, C., Tellez, M., Albandar, J. M., Rao, R., Iyer, V., Shi, E., & Wu, H. (2022). Developing and testing a prediction model for periodontal disease using machine learning and big electronic dental record data. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 5, 979525. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2022.979525 

Pham, D., Shukla, A., Welch, K., et al. (2022). Assessing knowledge of human papillomavirus among men who have sex with men (MSM) using targeted dating applications. Vaccine, 40(38), 5655–5661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.07.048 

Shukla, A., Amrutham, B. V., Romito, L., Rodriguez, A. A. M., & Martinez Mier, E. A. (2022). Financial assessment of the community-based dental education program at Indiana University School of Dentistry. Journal of Dental Education, 86(12), 1660–1667. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13076 

Shukla, A., Chintapalli, A., Ahmed, M. K. A. B., et al. (2022). Assessing the effectiveness of web-based modules on human papillomavirus among dental and dental hygiene students. Journal of Cancer Education, 38(4), 1324–1330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-022-02144-0 

Shukla, A., Welch, K., & Villa, A. (2022). Assessment of the willingness of dentists in the state of Indiana to administer vaccines. PLOS ONE, 17(4), e0267167. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267167 

Tharp, G., Wohlford, M., & Shukla, A. (2022). Reviewing challenges in access to oral health services among the LGBTQ+ communities. PLOS ONE, 17(3), e0264271. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264271 

Donahue, M. L., Dunne, E. M., Gathright, E. C., DeCosta, J., Balletto, B. L., Jamison, R. N., ... Scott-Sheldon, L. A. (2021). Complementary and integrative health approaches to manage chronic pain in US military populations: Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis, 1985–2019. Psychological Services, 18(3), 295–309. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000485 

Dunne, E. M., Rosen, R. K., Rich, C., Norris, A. L., Salmoirago-Blotcher, E., & Carey, M. P. (2021). Telephone-delivered behavioral health interventions for people living with HIV: Patients' perspectives from a qualitative study. AIDS Care, 33(9), 1155–1158. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2020.1837049 

Mannes, Z. L., Dunne, E. M., Ferguson, E. G., Cook, R. L., & Ennis, N. (2021). Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder as a risk factor for substance use among adults living with HIV. AIDS Care, 33(5), 623–632. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2020.1757045 

Yang, M., Chagtai, A., Melendez, M., Haason, H., Badi, M., Sperraza, L., Yesilsoy, C., Godel, J., Tellez, M., Orrego, S., Montoya, C., & Ismail, A. I. (2021). Mitigating saliva aerosol contamination in a dental school clinic. BMC Oral Health, 21, 52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01417-2 

Baraniya, D., Chen, T., Nahar, A., Alakwaa, F., Hill, J., Tellez, M., Ismail, A. I., Puri, S., & Al-hebshi, N. N. (2020). Supragingival mycobiome and inter-kingdom interactions in dental caries. Journal of Oral Microbiology, 12(1), 1729305. https://doi.org/10.1080/20002297.2020.1729305 

Carey, M. P., Dunne, E. M., Norris, A., Dunsiger, S., Rich, C., Rosen, R. K., Chan, P., & Salmoirago-Blotcher, E. (2020). Phone-delivered mindfulness training to promote medication adherence and reduce sexual risk behavior among persons living with HIV: An exploratory clinical trial. AIDS & Behavior, 24, 1912–1928. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02761-4 

Dunne, E. M., Striley, C. W., Mannes, Z. L., Asken, B. M., Whitehead, N. E., & Cottler, L. B. (2020). Reasons for prescription opioid use while playing in the National Football League as risk factors for current use and misuse among former players. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 30(6), 544–549. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000647 

Lim, S., Alqahtani, S., Tellez, M., & Ismail, A. I. (2020). An innovative individual-level caries severity and progression indicator among children. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 80(2), 168–174. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12367 

Lim, S., Tellez, M., & Ismail, A. I. (2020). Chronic stress and unhealthy dietary behaviors among low-income African American female caregivers. Current Developments in Nutrition, 4(3), nzaa029. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa029 

Mannes, Z. L., Dunne, E. M., Ferguson, E. G., Cottler, L. B., & Ennis, N. (2020). History of opioid use as a risk factor for current use and mental health consequences among retired National Football League athletes: A 9-year follow-up investigation. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 215, 108251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108251 

Shukla, A., McKenna, M., Hayes, C., & Klevens, R. M. (2020). Association of human papillomavirus vaccination with exposure to dental or medical visits. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 80(4), 327–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12408 

Tellez, M., Lim, S., & Ismail, A. I. (2020). ICDAS is widely used as standardized and reliable caries detection criteria, but its reporting varies widely. Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice, 20(2), 101409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebdp.2020.101409 

Tellez, M., Meraner, M., Lim, S., Brandon, R., & Ismail, A. I. (2020). An innovative approach to assess comprehensive care: Temple University's Patient Wellness Report. Journal of Dental Education, 85(4), 513–520. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12466 

Tellez, M., Myers Virtue, S., Neckritz, S., Bhooptahi, V., Hernandez, M., Shierer, B., & Ismail, A. I. (2020). Randomized clinical trial of a motivational interviewing intervention to improve oral health education among older adults in Philadelphia: 12-month evaluation of non-clinical outcomes. Gerodontology, 37(3), 279–287. https://doi.org/10.1111/ger.12488