Benjamin Chaffee, DDS, MPH, PhD
Professor
Preventive & Restor Dent Sci
School of Dentistry

benjamin.chaffee@ucsf.edu 415-476-9226

The overarching goal of our team’s epidemiologic research program is to understand how various behaviors, biological attributes, and contexts influence health and disease distributions across populations. Application of such knowledge aims to inform future public health practices, health policies, and clinical guidelines that elevate the health of patients and communities.

A research focus has been understanding tobacco use perceptions and behaviors among adolescents, particularly new and emerging products and in the context of evolving tobacco regulatory policies. Other areas of interest include engaging dental professionals in providing patients with tobacco cessation support, early-life experiences in relation to childhood oral health, and prevention-focused, patient-tailored approaches to manage oral disease.

Education & Training

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  • Ph.D. Epidemiology University of California, Berkeley 2013
  • M.P.H. Public Health University of California, Berkeley 2009
  • D.D.S. Dentistry University of California, San Francisco 2008
  • B.A. Williams College 2002

Interests

  • breastfeeding
  • risk perceptions
  • early childhood caries
  • disease prevention
  • global oral health
  • electronic cigarettes
  • tobacco use
  • smokeless tobacco
  • randomized controlled trials
  • nutrition
  • systematic reviews
  • Global health
  • adolescent health
  • causal inference
  • biostatistics
  • epidemiology

Videos

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Grants and Projects

Publications (138)

Top publication keywords:
Adolescent BehaviorDental Caries SusceptibilityVapingDental CariesTobacco ProductsGingivitisOral HealthTobacco, SmokelessDentition, PermanentTobacco Use DisorderElectronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsPeriodontal DiseasesCannabisTobacco UseCariostatic Agents