Feasibility, acceptability, and short-term behavioral impact of the my smile buddy intervention for early childhood caries

Abstract

Objectives. To evaluate acceptability, feasibility, and short-term behavioral impact of an early childhood caries (ECC) intervention. Methods. Predominantly low-income Hispanic parent/child (2–6 years) dyads attending a busy pediatric dental clinic in New York City completed a single administration of the iPad-based technology-assisted education, goal-setting, and behavior change MySmileBuddy program. Self-reported behavior change was assessed via telephone survey one month post-intervention. Results. Of 113 parent/ child dyads approached, 108 (95.6%) participated and all completed MySmileBuddy in its entirety. Over 96% (n = 76) of 79 parents reached for follow-up recalled MySmileBuddy; 63.3% (n = 50) recalled their diet-and/or oral hygiene-related behavioral goal; and 79.7% (n = 79) reported taking action to initiate behavior change. Conclusions. Findings suggest that MySmileBuddy was feasibly implemented in a busy clinic, acceptable to this high-risk population, and effectively promoted preliminary ECC-related behavior changes. Larger, long-term studies are warranted to further investigate the impact of the MySmileBuddy program.