A newly published study in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science evaluates the performance of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network Central Institutional Review Board from its establishment in 2014 through 2025. The Central IRB is administratively housed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and serves as the single IRB of record for National Dental PBRN studies.
The evaluation examined study approval timelines and post-approval processes within the context of the National Institutes of Health single-IRB policy. The findings show that while the Central IRB does not shorten initial approval timelines due to required local context review by participating institutions, it provides measurable administrative benefits after approval. These benefits include streamlined handling of amendments, continuing reviews, and other post-approval submissions, reducing the ongoing regulatory burden on local institutions participating in network studies.
“The goal of the Central IRB has always been to support high-quality, practice-based research while reducing unnecessary administrative complexity for participating sites,” said Muna Anabtawi, D.D.S., M.S., C.C.R.P., manager of Clinical Research Administration at the UAB School of Dentistry and lead author of the study. “This evaluation provides evidence to inform how centralized review models function in real-world, multi-institution research settings.”
The National Dental PBRN is a national consortium of dental practices and organizations conducting research in real-world clinical settings. The network’s national administrative base is housed at UAB.
”As I was arriving at UAB in 2019, the Dental PBRN was beginning a new funding cycle—its first under the formal single‑IRB mandate. Although the network had long operated under a centralized IRB model, the mandate introduced new requirements and considerations. The real credit belongs to the team that has carried that work forward, and it’s been a genuine privilege to support Drs. Gilbert and Anabtawi in the Dental PBRN and Vanessa Champigny in the HRPP office through that transition.”
- Adam J. McClintock, Executive Director, UAB Human Research Protection Program