Building capacity in ageing research: Implications from a survey of emerging researchers in Australia

Objective: The National Emerging Researchers in Ageing Study (NERAS) set out to inform capacity-building efforts in ageing research. Its purpose was to identify the interest, attitudes and motives of PhD students to enter the field and factors influencing intention to remain. Method: A web-based survey was sent to 267 PhD students in ageing. It assessed attitudes towards older people and the importance of a variety of factors influencing students' interest and decision to engage in ageing research. Results: The response rate was 60% (n = 161). Positive attitudes, interest in ageing issues and concern for older people were key motivating factors to work or study in the field. Supervisors in ageing and initial interest in the field were key predictors of intention to remain in the field. Conclusions: NERAS is the first national study of emerging researchers in ageing and it provides important new knowledge with implications for capacity-building efforts

Saliva diagnostics for oral diseases

Oral diseases, or stomatognathic diseases, denote the diseases of the mouth (“stoma”) and jaw (“gnath”). Dental caries and periodontal diseases have been traditionally considered as the most important global oral health burdens. It is important to note that in oral diagnostics, the greatest challenges are determining the clinical utility of potential biomarkers for screening (in asymptomatic people), predicting the early onset of disease (prognostic tests), and evaluating the disease activity and the efficacy of therapy through innovative diagnostic tests. An oral diagnostic test, in principle, should provide valuable information for differential diagnosis, localization of disease, and severity of infection. This information can then be incorporated by the physician when planning treatments and will provide means for assessing the effectiveness of therapy