Optimizing Early Childhood Dental Health Interventions
Dental caries in primary (baby) teeth is the most common chronic childhood disease—especially in underserved communities. Despite its preventability, early tooth decay leads to long-term health disparities, school absences, and financial burden on families and public health systems. Public health agencies know that changing parental behavior can have impact—but until now, they’ve lacked data-driven tools to know which behaviors to target, and how to allocate limited resources effectively.