mySmileBuddy
Preventing and Managing Tooth Decay for Children
“MySmileBuddy (MSB) – Preventing and Managing Tooth Decay for Socially-vulnerable Young Children.” MSB is a web-based digital health platform that guides parents of young children through the day-to-day management of risks for childhood tooth decay – the #1 chronic disease of U.S. children. MSB complements or minimizes the need for conventional high-cost dental treatment that is imposing on children and fails to prevent disease progression. MSB can improve child and family experience and long-term health outcomes at lower costs.
With over $9M in grant support since 2008, MSB has been developed, tested, and refined by a multidisciplinary team of dental, medical, social service, and education professionals. MSB builds on established theories of behavior change and principles of chronic disease management to help families adopt and sustain healthy family behaviors. MSB’s digital platform can be used by parents or delivered by “coaches” by telehealth or in home, community, office, or program sites – including Head Start, WIC, and Home Visiting Programs.
In a 3-year pragmatic Medicaid-innovation trial with 1207 affected children, MSB was found to be feasible, acceptable, and positively impactful on health knowledge and behaviors. In the trial, 99% of parents would recommend MSB, parents reported that poor oral health of children dropped from 51% to 2%, and caries progression stopped in the majority of affected children (57%).
For more information, please contact
Burton L. Edelstein DDS MPH
Columbia University Professor Emeritus of Dental Medicine and Health Policy & Management
ble22@columbia.edu
202-905-4498
