Parent training to protect toddlers' and preschoolers' teeth
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-11144392 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A parent-facing program that teaches behavior strategies and easy oral hygiene steps to help prevent cavities in children ages 0–5.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $707,949 |
| NIH project number | 5R44DE030019-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144392 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are parents or primary caregivers of children from birth through about five years old who want help establishing daily oral care routines.
✕Less likely to help
Children with advanced dental disease already needing specialist restorative treatment, or older children beyond the preschool years, may not see direct benefit from this preventive program.
What this research studies
This project created BeReady2Smile (BR2S), a coordinated prevention program that trains parenting educators to teach parents how to build tooth-care routines for young children. It combines proven behavioral parenting techniques with practical oral hygiene guidance and addresses common barriers parents face. The program was developed as a multimedia, commercially viable package to be delivered through community and early-childhood education channels. The goal is universal prevention—helping most families form lasting habits that lower young children's risk of cavities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, parents could get clearer, easier tools to reduce tooth decay in toddlers and preschoolers and make daily dental care less stressful.
How similar studies have gone: Behavioral parent-training methods have strong evidence for changing child behaviors, and combining those methods with oral health education is newer but builds on proven approaches.
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
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
BeReady2Smile: Mobile-friendly training for parents to keep young children’s teeth healthy
A parent-focused program is being developed to help families with children aged 2–5 build healthy oral-hygiene habits.
-
Smart speaker parenting help for families with young children
A new tool using smart speaker technology helps parents with kids ages 0-11 manage routines and improve kids’ behavior and sleep.
-
Using smart speakers to help parents with young children's education and behavior
This study is creating a helpful tool called 'Talk Parenting' that uses smart speakers to give parents of young kids real-time tips and support for handling behavior challenges and improving sleep routines, making it easier for families to get the parenting help they need right at home.
-
A program to support new parents in their parenting and coparenting skills
This study is looking at a new program that uses technology to help new moms and dads improve their parenting skills and work better together, with the hope of boosting their mental health and supporting their baby's growth.
-
How social factors and parental involvement affect parenting confidence in families with children who have heart defects
This study looks at how things like family background and how involved parents are in their child's hospital care can affect their confidence in parenting, especially for families with children who have heart defects, and it aims to find ways to better support these parents.
-
The impact of childhood experiences on parenting in unsafe neighborhoods
This study looks at how tough and positive experiences from childhood affect how parents raise their kids in neighborhoods with a lot of violence, and it aims to find ways to help these parents create loving homes for their children.
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.