This educational and family-support technology is a low-cost digital platform that helps parents and caregivers navigate the day-to-day management of their children’s dietary and hygienic risks for tooth decay.
In the U.S., nearly half of children under age six experience tooth decay with many experiencing significant consequences of pain, infection, and dysfunction. Young children from low-income families are disproportionately affected. Current dental treatments for early childhood tooth decay are expensive and imposing. They often fail to reduce caries risk or disease progression because they do not effectively address underlying behavioral causes. There is a need for a low-cost solution that improves children’s oral health through prevention and disease management.
MSB is a web-based digital health platform that guides parents of young children through the day-to-day management of health-behavior risks for childhood tooth decay. MSB complements or minimizes the need for conventional high-cost dental treatment. MSB can improve child and family experience and long-term health outcomes at lower costs than conventional care alone. Built on establish theories of health behavior change and motivational interviewing, it is comprehensive, engaging, educational, and motivational when used alone or with support of a coach, like a community health worker, health professional, or child-and-family service provider.
IR, CU13063, CU18320, CU23288
Licensing Contact: Cynthia Lang
