Reducing Early Age Cavities At Home (REACH)
The REACH study started in 2015 to examine if, and how, social, behavioral, and family
factors may be involved the onset of early childhood caries (cavities), one of the major public health problems affecting young children. We study approximately 200 initially caries-free children for two years, and conduct intensive social, family, and oral health assessments every six months. The study includes everything from detailed assessments of the oral microbiome, to diet behavior, to observational assessments of parent-child interaction quality. We continue to follow children and families, and are now in the process of analyzing results from the early stages from this study.
The project is supported by a grant from the NIDCR.
Project investigators include Drs. Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, Tom O’Connor, Rob Quivey, and Gene Watson.