mySmileBuddy
Q & A
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THAT THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM ADDRESSES?
The problem is that too many children still suffer too much from a preventable disease – tooth decay!
WHAT IS THE MY SMILE BUDDY PROGRAM’S GOAL?
The MySmileBuddy Program’s Goal is to help families prevent or stop tooth decay through day-to-day health behaviors.
WHAT ARE THE MY SMILE BUDDY PROGRAM VISION and VALUE PROPOSITION?
The MySmileBuddy Program’s Vision is oral health for ALL children. MSB’s Value Proposition is better oral health at lower cost with improved patient and provider experience.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM?
The MySmileBuddy Program is a comprehensive interactive web-based health-behavior tool that helps families prevent and control risks for childhood tooth decay.
WHAT ARE MYSMILEBUDDY’s CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS?
The MySmileBuddy Program is grounded in chronic disease management, motivational interviewing, behavior change theory, educational technology, and professional guidelines.
HOW DOES MYSMILEBUDDY SUPPORT PARADIGM SHIFTS UNDERWAY IN HEALTH CARE?
The MySmileBuddy Program supports social determinants of health, value-based care, public health action, health equity, medical-dental integration, and telehealth.
WHERE DID THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM COME FROM?
Since 2008, Columbia University experts in oral health, nutrition, social work, health education, and educational technology have worked together create, test, and refine MySmileBuddy.
DOES THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM WORK?
Yes! Clinical studies have proven MySmileBuddy to be effective, beneficial, feasible, and acceptable to parents.
WHO DOES THE MYSMILEBUDDY HELP?
The MySmileBuddy Program helps families, healthcare workers, insurers, community programs, and payers improve children’s oral health.
WHO DELIVERS AND DISSEMINATES THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM?
Parents can use the MySmileBuddy Program -- with or without oral health coaches -- in home, community, and office sites.
​WHO CAN LICENSE THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM?
Parents, providers, payers, public health agencies, and child support organizations (like Head Start, WIC, and Home Visiting Programs) can license the MySmileBuddy Program.
WHO PAYS FOR THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM and HOW?
Everyone who seeks to improve children’s oral health and health equity. Included are insurers, providers, managed care organizations, public health agencies, foundations, and parents themselves.
HOW CAN MEDICAID and CHIP PAY PROVIDERS TO USE THE MYSMILEBUDDY PROGRAM?
Medicaid and CHIP have a host of authorities and mechanisms to pay providers and coaches (like Community Health Workers) to use MySmileBuddy.
WHO ARE MYSMILEBUDDY COACHES AND HOW ARE THEY TRAINED?
MySmileBuddy Coaches are dental and medical professionals, community health workers, Head Start Health Workers, WIC Counselors, nutritionists, social workers, health educators – anyone who works closely with families.