Access to preventive dental care may improve health in children with sickle cell disease
Official title: Access, Timing, and Impact of Dental Care on Health Outcomes in Children with Sickle Cell Disease
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11426157 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aiming to see if regular preventive dental visits help improve health outcomes for kids with sickle cell disease who rely on Medicaid.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $920,152 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL188828-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11426157 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0-11 with sickle cell disease who are covered by Medicaid.
✕Less likely to help
This study analyzes population-level data and does not involve a direct intervention for individual patients.
What this research studies
This project will look at national Medicaid data to understand how often children with sickle cell disease receive preventive dental care and how that relates to their overall health and hospital visits. It will analyze factors like where families live, how Medicaid pays for dental care, and dentist participation to see who gets preventive care. The study also plans to estimate whether preventive dental visits are linked to fewer pain crises, hospitalizations, strokes, and infections over time. If the findings show a benefit, it could support policies that improve access to dental care for children with sickle cell disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If preventive dental care reduces serious health events, families and clinicians could push for better access and coverage for dental services for children with SCD.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests oral health may influence systemic health in chronic conditions, but this specific Medicaid-based analysis on SCD is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reeves, Sarah Leasure — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Reeves, Sarah Leasure
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.