The Role of Dentistry in the Prevention of Opioid Drug Misuse and Abuse (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DE 23 010

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DE 23 010

The funding opportunity titled The Role of Dentistry in the Prevention of Opioid Drug Misuse and Abuse (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to push dentistry toward safer, evidence-based opioid prescribing while also addressing opioid misuse and abuse linked to dental care. The announcement (RFA-DE-23-010; CFDA 93.121) supports research that moves beyond describing the problem and instead tests practical interventions or programs that can be adopted in real dental settings. The core idea is to use dental visits, dental procedures, and dental prescribing decisions as concrete points where opioid exposure can be reduced and where prevention strategies can be implemented to lower the risk of misuse, persistent use, and related harms.

This FOA uses a UG3/UH3 phased approach, which generally means applicants propose a project with an initial planning, feasibility, or readiness phase (UG3) followed by an implementation or effectiveness phase (UH3), with the transition typically dependent on meeting clearly defined milestones. The “clinical trial optional” label indicates that applicants may propose a study that includes a clinical trial if it fits the aims, but they are not required to run a clinical trial to be responsive. Because this is a cooperative agreement, awardees should expect substantial NIH program involvement, with federal staff often collaborating on study oversight, milestone tracking, and coordination to help ensure the project stays aligned with the FOA goals and produces usable outcomes.

The research focus is on establishing effective interventions or programs that either manage pain in ways that reduce opioid reliance, prevent opioid misuse, or improve prescribing decisions among dental professionals so that practice matches scientific evidence. In practical terms, projects might center on implementing and evaluating prescribing guidelines, provider training and decision support, patient education, workflow changes in dental clinics, non-opioid and multimodal pain management strategies, or systems-level tools that shape prescribing behavior. The intent is to generate evidence that can be translated into routine dental practice, including approaches that can be scaled across different clinic types and patient populations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic public and private entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly excludes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions, and it does not allow foreign components as defined by NIH policy, meaning the work must remain fully domestic without foreign subcomponents.

Key administrative details included in the source data are that the opportunity falls under the “Health” activity category, is discretionary funding, and uses the cooperative agreement mechanism. The original closing date listed is 2022-05-10, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of 2022-03-02. The award ceiling shown is $400,000. The expected number of awards is not provided in the supplied text, but the mechanism and milestone-based structure signal an emphasis on well-planned projects that can demonstrate feasibility early and then deliver measurable improvements in prescribing alignment and opioid misuse prevention during the implementation phase.

Overall, the FOA is aimed at producing real-world, evidence-backed strategies that dental professionals and dental systems can use to reduce unnecessary opioid exposure, promote safer pain management, and lower the chance that dental opioid prescriptions become a pathway to misuse or longer-term opioid-related problems. The most competitive applications would typically be those that identify a clear leverage point in dental care, propose an intervention that can be implemented in practice, define meaningful outcomes (prescribing patterns, patient pain outcomes, refill rates, persistent use indicators, misuse risk measures, or related endpoints), and lay out concrete UG3 milestones that justify moving into the UH3 implementation stage.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Role of Dentistry in the Prevention of Opioid Drug Misuse and Abuse (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)" 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 2022-03-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for RFA DE 23 010

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: