Associate Prof John Broughton is director of the university-based Ngai Tahu Maori Health Research Unit and is the lead investigator for the research project in New Zealand.
"It's very exciting because it's an international collaboration with indigenous researchers in both Australia and Canada," Prof Broughton said.
The research was trailblazing, as the first "high-quality oral health intervention research to be done across all three countries", researchers said.
The project aimed to reduce the "disease burden and health inequalities arising from chronic dental disease among indigenous children" and involves early childhood tooth decay intervention.
Existing Otago University research links with Raukura Hauora O Tainui, a big Maori health provider in the North Island, would be continued through the research.
The project is one of three announced by the HRC yesterday, and involving the International Collaborative Indigenous Health Research Partnership scheme, in which Australia and Canada also participate.
The child oral health project has attracted the highest HRC funding, involving $2,352,328 over five years.
The two other projects are led in New Zealand by Dr Sue Crengle ($1,475,884) and Dr Rhys Jones ($1,977,857), of Auckland University.
Health research funding authorities in Australia and Canada are also providing funds for research in their countries, and each project also has a research leader in each nation.
Researchers said that early childhood caries (ECC) involving severe dental decay caused "profound suffering", often requiring costly treatment under a general anaesthetic. It was also the strongest predictor of poor oral health in adulthood.
Such severe decay caused pain and affected a child's ability to eat, play and sleep.
Despite ECC being "entirely preventable", marked disparities in the condition existed between indigenous and non-indigenous children in New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
