The Global Consortium of Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies-GLOBICS

Abstract

This article highlights the transformative initiatives of the Global Consortium of Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies (GLOBICS) as a key response to the call for a global overhaul of the oral health agenda. Recognizing the critical role of birth cohort studies in public health, particularly in understanding the interplay between oral health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and social inequalities, GLOBICS is spearheading efforts that are research driven and focused on translational pathways. GLOBICS is advancing an International Research Agenda with 8 key priorities aimed at addressing the most pressing questions in oral health research. These priorities shall guide pooled analyses from oral health birth cohort studies (OHBCS) spread across the globe, enabling the consortium to generate robust evidence answering core research questions. One of the major efforts of GLOBICS is data harmonization, which involves standardizing and integrating data from multiple sources to ensure consistency and comparability. This process is vital for generating reliable global insights and fostering collaborations with new research partners. GLOBICS also emphasizes the nurturing of the next generation of OHBCS researchers, ensuring that the field continues to grow and innovate. The consortium's commitment to disseminating and translating its findings is central to its mission. By supporting the development of clinical practice guidelines, policies, and public health information tailored to the specific contexts of its collaborators, GLOBICS is making strides toward tangible improvements in global oral health. This work is a testament to the power of collaborative research and an invitation for further contributions to this global effort.

Keywords: epidemiology; lifestyles; longitudinal observational studies; nutrition; pediatric; risk factors.

Figure 1.

Worldwide map representing GLOBICS collaborators.

Figure 2.

Oral health research in Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies (OHBCS). The concentric blue circles represent the individual factors influencing oral health, whereas the gray area represents macro contextual-level determinants. The wavy edges of each arc indicate potential interactions between individual factors, and the wavy arrows capture the complex relationships across different levels. The model also considers the time needed to observe the impact of exposures on oral health outcomes (life course).