Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez Leads Binational Oral Health Equity Initiative Along California-Mexico Border
"Bridging Border Smiles," in partnership with Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and with funding through UC Alianza MX, focuses on community workers and tele-oral health.
Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez, professor and chair of the Section of Pediatric Dentistry at the UCLA School of Dentistry, has been awarded funding through the University of California Alianza MX and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) Collaborative Research Program to lead Bridging Border Smiles: A Binational Community Oral Health Worker and Tele-Oral Health Initiative.
The project was selected through the 2025 UC Alianza MX-UABC Call for Collaborative Research Proposals and will support a two-year collaboration through March 2028 focused on improving oral health outcomes in underserved communities along the California-Mexico border.
The initiative brings together faculty from UCLA and UABC in Tijuana to address persistent oral health disparities affecting families through community-based prevention, workforce development, and innovative telehealth strategies. Bridging Border Smiles will train community oral health workers and implement a culturally responsive tele-oral health model designed to expand access to preventive services, oral health education, screening, and care coordination in border communities.
"Oral health disparities do not stop at borders, and neither should the solutions," said Ramos-Gomez, principal investigator of the project. "Through this partnership with UABC and the support of UC Alianza MX, we are building a sustainable model that empowers communities, strengthens the oral health workforce, and uses technology to connect children and families of vulnerable communities with preventive care, access to dental care, and resources on both sides of the border."
The project builds upon the School's longstanding commitment to community-engaged oral health research and expands the global reach of ongoing efforts to improve access to care for vulnerable populations. Last fall, the Section of Pediatric Dentistry secured a fourth consecutive, five-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to expand its innovative postdoctoral training in pediatric and public health dentistry.
By integrating tele-oral health technologies with community-based outreach, Bridging Border Smiles aims to address social determinants of oral health while creating scalable approaches that can be replicated in other underserved regions.
The award further strengthens the long-standing partnership between the University of California system and UABC under the Alianza MX framework, which promotes research, innovation, and educational collaboration between California and Mexico. The project was among those selected for funding by a binational review committee and will receive support for research activities and collaborative engagement between the partner institutions.
UC Alianza MX is a University of California initiative that strengthens research, education, and innovation partnerships between California and Mexico. Through collaborative programs and funding opportunities, it advances solutions to shared challenges while promoting academic exchange, workforce development, and cross-border impact in areas such as health, sustainability, and social equity.
Pictured from left to right:
– Dr. Lilia Larin, President of the Dental Board of California
– Dr. Betsabe de la Cruz Corona, Vice Dean of External Affairs UABC
– Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez, Chair, UCLA School of Dentistry Section of Pediatric Dentistry
– Dr. Perla Elena Nunez, Dean of UABC
– Dr. Patricia Preciado Bojorques, Chair of Pediatric Dentistry, UABC
– Elizabeth Leyva, data analyst, UABC
– Dr. Jose Enrique Acosta, double alumnus of UABC and UCLA School of Dentistry