BeReady2Smile: Mobile-friendly training for parents to keep young children’s teeth healthy
Official title: Multi-Media Professional Development for Parenting Educators to Deliver Oral Hygiene Education for Parents of Young Children
Funded at Oregon Res Behavioral Intervention Strat · NIH-11386440 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A parent-focused program is being developed to help families with children aged 2–5 build healthy oral-hygiene habits.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Res Behavioral Intervention Strat NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 10, 2020 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $352,691 |
| NIH project number | 5R44DE030019-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386440 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Parents and caregivers of children aged 2–5 who experience or are at risk of dental caries.
✕Less likely to help
Children without behavioral barriers or whose families do not engage with the program may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates a behavioral parenting training approach integrated with practical oral-health guidance to help parents adopt consistent brushing, flossing, and dental-care routines for toddlers and preschoolers. It builds on existing pediatric dental guidelines and targets common barriers parents face, including challenging behaviors. The effort pairs a behavioral intervention with a ready-to-use, commercially viable BeReady2Smile program to support caregivers in creating lasting oral-health routines for their children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, families could more easily establish durable dental-care habits that reduce early childhood tooth decay.
How similar studies have gone: Prior behavioral parenting strategies have shown promise in improving child health behaviors, with this project adapting them for early childhood oral health.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Res Behavioral Intervention Strat
Springfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, David Randolph — Oregon Res Behavioral Intervention Strat
- Study coordinator: Smith, David Randolph
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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.