Harnessing Technologies to Support Oral Health Promotion and Management Outside the Dental Setting (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA DE 23 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DE 23 009

Harnessing Technologies to Support Oral Health Promotion and Management Outside the Dental Setting (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity (RFA-DE-23-009) that supports research aimed at improving oral health in places where people live, learn, work, and receive non-dental services, rather than relying solely on traditional dental clinics. The central goal is to spur the development, adaptation, and rigorous testing of technology-enabled approaches that help prevent oral disease, promote healthy behaviors, and support ongoing oral health management in real-world community and organizational settings. The emphasis on "technology-facilitated" tools can include digital platforms and workflows that make prevention and self-management easier to deliver at scale, especially for populations who face barriers to routine dental care.

The initiative specifically encourages projects that combine technology with behavioral, community, and organizational strategies. In practice, this points to interventions that may use mobile health applications, text messaging programs, telehealth or teledentistry-enabled models, wearable or sensor-informed feedback, electronic health record prompts in medical settings, decision support tools for non-dental providers, remote coaching, digital educational content, or community-facing platforms that connect people to resources. Importantly, these tools are meant to be implemented outside the dental setting, such as primary care clinics, schools, childcare programs, community centers, public health programs, faith-based organizations, long-term care facilities, or other environments where people routinely interact with health or social services. The overall idea is to meet people where they are and to integrate oral health promotion into settings that already have frequent contact with individuals and families.

This opportunity uses a UG3/UH3 phased cooperative agreement structure and requires a clinical trial. The UG3 phase is typically used for time-limited planning, refinement, and early milestone-driven work (for example, finalizing the intervention, confirming feasibility, preparing implementation workflows, or piloting recruitment and data capture systems). If predefined milestones are met, the project can transition into the UH3 phase, which generally supports the full implementation and evaluation of the intervention, including clinical trial activities in the intended real-world settings. Because this is a cooperative agreement, awardees should expect substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from NIH staff compared with a standard research grant. In many NIH cooperative agreements, this can mean closer coordination on study milestones, trial conduct expectations, data sharing, and progress monitoring.

Eligible applicants span a broad range of U.S.-based organizations, reflecting the community-focused nature of the program. Eligible entities include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Tribal participation is supported through federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments). The opportunity is also open to public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The listing also highlights additional eligible applicant types that align with reaching underserved communities, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

There are clear restrictions related to foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply directly, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain well-justified foreign elements (such as specific expertise, data resources, or collaboration) if they meet NIH policy requirements and are appropriately structured within the application.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement funding instrument. The funding activity category is health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.121. The opportunity was created on 2022-07-01 and had an original closing date of 2022-11-22. The summary information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so those details would typically be confirmed in the full funding announcement or related NIH documentation.

Overall, this program is designed for teams that can bridge oral health science, behavior change, implementation in community systems, and practical technology development, with the expectation of conducting a clinical trial to test effectiveness in non-dental settings. The strongest-fit projects are likely those that can demonstrate a clear pathway from a technology-enabled intervention to measurable improvements in oral health behaviors, prevention, access to supportive services, or management of oral conditions, particularly in settings that reach populations who are less likely to receive consistent dental care.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Harnessing Technologies to Support Oral Health Promotion and Management Outside the Dental Setting (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-07-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-11-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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