1980 B.A., Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, (Cum Laude)
1984 D.M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
1985 Certificate, General Practice Residency, Montefiore Medical Center
1989 Fellowship in Oral Medicine and Clinical Dental Research, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH

• Aging oral physiology
• Oral oncology
• Oral medicine
• Interaction of oral and systemic diseases
• Salivary physiology

The focus of my research has been to try and gain a better understanding of the influence of aging, systemic diseases, and medications on oral health and function. My research investigations began with a systematic approach to assessing oral conditions in healthy populations of different-aged adults. Evaluations of olfaction, gustation, periodontal and mucosal diseases, dental caries, salivary function, and oral motor function were conducted in several large populations of healthy adults across the entire age spectrum. In general, findings suggested that age per se, in the absence of major medical problems and their treatments, had little influence on the incidence or prevalence of oral diseases. Rather, research findings demonstrated that specific systemic conditions, medications, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy had greater adverse affects on the health and function of the oral cavity than the simple chronological passing of time in healthy adults.

Many of these studies focused on salivary physiology, due to the central role saliva plays in the protection and preservation of oral and pharyngeal health. Oral and systemic conditions traditionally associated with salivary dysfunction were examined in several population-based studies, taking into consideration multiple sociodemographic and biological factors: menopause, dehydration, diabetes, hypothyroidism, Sogren's syndrome, menopause, periodontal diseases, medications, and head and neck radiotherapy. With a better understanding of the role these and other conditions play on the condition of the oral and craniofacial complex, our laboratory has begun to direct our clinical and translational research efforts to specific systemic diseases and treatments.

Diabetes has multiple deleterious influences on oral health, but has received little research attention in the elderly. We initiated a prospective and longitudinal investigation assessing the role of age, glycemic control, and other sociodemographic and oral factors on the prevalence and incidence of dental caries, periodontopathogens, periodontal disease progression, and salivary function. Findings to date demonstrate that older adults with poor glycemic control are more likely to develop caries, periodontal attachment loss, and salivary hypofunction compared to well-controlled diabetics or age-, gender-, and race-matched non-diabetic controls.

A second area of research attention has been salivary function in aging adults. The loss of physiological reserve has been a well-accepted phenomenon in the aging of most organ systems of the body. While most clinicians and scientists have assumed that this process occurs in the oral cavity as well, it has never been proven in an objective fashion. Using saliva as our test oral system, we initiated a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over designed clinical investigation using healthy young and older adults to assess objective and subjective measures of salivary function after administration of a potent antisialogogue (glycopyrrolate). Our results demonstrate markedly greater drug-induced salivary impairment and duration of salivary inhibition in the older adults compared to younger adults. Interestingly, there does not appear to be any subjective differences between the two age groups. These results may prove to substantiate the hypothesis of a secretory reserve in aging salivary glands, since our cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have confirmed that healthy aging is not associated with any major detriments in salivary output.

Our laboratory's largest investment has been in the development of a new parotid-sparing radiotherapy technique for the treatment of head and neck cancers. Approximately 30,000 adults in 1998 were diagnosed with head and neck cancers, and most of these patients will receive therapeutic levels of radiotherapy. It is well known, however, that this treatment is associated with significant oral and pharyngeal morbidity. In collaboration with colleagues from Radiation Oncology, we have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to spare contralateral parotid glands in patients receiving unilateral or bilateral neck radiotherapy. These studies now have longitudinal data spanning 5 years confirming enhanced salivary function and improved xerostomia-related quality of life, without any evidence of treatment-associated radiotherapy failures. We intend to extend these studies into the laboratory to determine the molecular basis of radiotherapy- and apoptosis-induced salivary dysfunction. Our ultimate goal is to develop new techniques for salivary radioprotection in patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancers.

NIH. Assessment of Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Parotid Sparing Radiation (A. Eisbruch, PI)

IBM Matching Equipment Grant. Aging Oral Research Program (J. Ship, PI)

NIH. Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award -Effect of Systemic Disease on Oral Health in Elderly (E. Ghezzi, PI)

Veldona USA, Inc. Low-Dose Natural Human Interferon Alpha (HBL IFNa) Administered by the Oral Mucosal Route for the Treatment of Primary Sogren's Syndrome - An Open Label Phase 3 Clinical Study. (J. Ship, PI)

Book Chapters:

Baum BJ, Ferguson M, Fox P, Johansson I, Marmary Y, Nauntofte B, Navazesh M, Ship JA, Spielman A. "Salivary Gland and Chemosensory Disorders" in Perspectives on the World Workshop on Oral Medicine III 1998. Millard HD, Mason D, Eds. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, pp 273-308, 2000.

Ship JA. "Geriatrics" in Burket's Oral Medicine, 10th Ed. Greenberg M, Glick M, Eds. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia. 2000, in press.

Ship JA, Chavez EC. "Special Senses: Taste and Smell" in Essentials of Oral Medicine. Silverman S Jr., Eversole, R, Truelove E, Eds. Decker Publishing Co., Canada. 2000, in press.

Ship JA. "Dental and Oral Disorders" in The Merck Manual of Geriatrics, 3rd Ed. Beers MH, Berkow R (Eds). Merck & Co., Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ. 2000, in press.

Ship JA. "The Oral Cavity" in Principles of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, 4th Ed. Hazzard WR, Blass JP, Ettinger WH, Halter JB, Ouslander JG (Eds). McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, pp 591-602, 1999.

Monographs:

Ship JA, Mohammad AR (eds). Clinician's Guide to Oral Health in Geriatric Patients, 1st Ed. American Academy of Oral Medicine, 1999.

Articles:

Henson BS, Inglehart MR, Eisbruch A, Ship JA. Preserved Salivary Output and Xerostomia-Related Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Parotid-Sparing Radiotherapy. Oral Oncol 2000, in press

Dawson LA, Anzai Y, Marsh L, Martel MK, Paulino A, Ship JA, Eisbruch A. Patterns of Local-Regional Recurrence Following Parotid-Sparing Conformal and Segmental Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer. Int J Rad Oncol Biol Phys 2000;46(5):1117-1126.

Ghezzi EM, Chavez EM, Ship JA. General Anesthesia Protocol for the Dental Patient: Emphasis for Older Adults. Spec Care Dent 2000;20(3):81-108.

Ghezzi EM, Wagner-Lange LA, Schork MA, Metter EJ, Baum BJ, Streckfus CF, Ship JA. Longitudinal Influence of Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and Other Medications on Parotid Flow Rates in Healthy Women. J Gerontol Med Sci 2000;55A:M34-42

Ship JA, Chavez EM, Doerr PA, Henson BS, Sarmadi M. Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis. Quintessence Int 2000;35:95-112

Eisbruch A, Ten Haken R, Kim HM, Marsh LH, Ship JA. Dose, Volume, and Function Relationships in Parotid Salivary Glands Following Conformal and Intensity Modulated Irradiation of Head and Neck Cancer. Int J Radiation Oncology Biol Phys 1999;45:577-587.

Ship JA, Fox PC, Michalek JE, Cummins MJ, Richards AB, and the IFN? protocol study group. Treatment of Primary Sogren's Syndrome with Low-Dose Natural Human Interferon Alpha (IFN?) Administered by the Oral Mucosal Route - Results of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial. J Inter Cytokine Res 1999;19:943-951.

Henson BS, Eisbruch A, D'Hondt E, Ship JA. Two Year Longitudinal Study of Parotid Salivary Flow Rates in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Unilateral Neck Parotid-Sparing Radiotherapy Treatment. Oral Oncology 1999;35:234-241.

Ship JA. The Influence of Aging on Oral Health and Consequences for Taste and Smell. Phys Behav 1999;66(2):209-215.

Ship JA, Fischer D. The Relationship Between Dehydration and Parotid Salivary Gland Function in Young and Older, Healthy Adults. J Gerontol Med Sci 1997;52A:M310-9.

Ship JA, Eisbruch A, D'Hondt E, Jones RE. Parotid Sparing Study in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Bilateral Radiation Therapy: 1 Year Results. J Dent Res 1997;76:807-813.

Ship JA, Grushka M, Lipton J, Mott A, Sessle B, Dionne R. An Update on Burning Mouth Syndrome. J Amer Dent Assoc 1995;126:842-853.

Ship JA, Nolan N, Puckett S. Longitudinal Analysis of Parotid and Submandibular Salivary Flow Rates in Healthy, Different Aged Adults. J Gerontol Med Sci 1995;50A:M285-M289.

Ship JA, Crow HC. Diseases of Periodontal Tissues in the Elderly. Description, Epidemiology, Aetiology, and Drug Therapy. Drugs Aging 1994;5:346-357

Ship JA, Puckett SA. Longitudinal Study on Oral Health in Subjects with Alzheimer's Disease. J Amer Geriatr Soc 1994;42:57-63.