Development of ECC Prediction Models from Oral Microbiome Diversity and Functions in Early Infancy of Underserved Children

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is an important, often neglected, and treatable health disparity. A better understanding of the biological factors related to this childhood oral health disparity is urgently needed. Our multidisciplinary team proposes to leverage resources from an existing birth cohort of low-income minority children to identify multilevel (maternal, genetics, immune, environmental, and demographic) factors related to oral microbiome development in early infancy and the onset of ECC. Successful completion of the proposal will lead to developing a valid ECC prediction model that could be used in early infancy and generating novel modalities for ECC early prediction and prevention for underserved children.