Seminar Series: Dr. Noha Gomaa, DDS, MSc, PhD
Beyond False Dichotomies: An Exposomal Framework to Identifying Risk and Building Resilience for Oral Health
Noha A. Gomaa
Assistant Professor, Oral Medicine and Dental Public Health
Associate Director, Dentistry Research,
Schulich Dentistry, Western University
Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute
Short Biography:
Dr. Noha Gomaa is an Assistant Professor of Oral Medicine and Dental Public Health at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, and a Scientist at the Children’s Health Research Institute. Her research program, the Society to Cell Oral Health Lab (S2CL), aims to optimize evidence-informed oral health interventions by identifying the shared risk factors, onset, and pathways between oral diseases and other chronic diseases over the life course, while evaluating the multi-level impacts of clinical and policy interventions on these outcomes. Taking special interest in knowledge mobilization and professionalism in dentistry, Noha has previously worked with federal and provincial policymakers on the development of access to oral healthcare programs for underserved populations. She currently serves on the National Advisory of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario Council, and as Vice Chair of the Research Committee at the National Dental Examining Board of Canada. Noha is an editorial board member of the Journal of Dental Research, and Vice President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.
Abstract:
For too long, and for many reasons, oral health has been framed through false dichotomies: mouth versus body, lifestyle versus societal responsibility, and clinical versus public health interventions. This presentation will challenge these divisions by situating oral health within the exposomic framework, defined as the continuum of the social, environmental, and biological exposures that shape oral and overall health across the life course. Drawing on our recent studies in clinical and population cohorts, I will discuss the interconnectedness between oral diseases and other health outcomes along the exposomic continuum over the lifespan and why that matters to informing equitable oral health interventions. I will further discuss current evidence on the impacts of individual and population-level oral health interventions on mitigating oral disease risk, strengthening resilience, and improving oral health equity.
Area of Research:
Population oral health, life course epidemiology, applied oral health policy
Date: Friday, November 28
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: PHFM 3015 (Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine)
