NAU researchers launch first large-scale study of tooth decay among preschoolers in southern Arizona, on island of Hawai’i

Nationally, rates of early childhood caries, or tooth decay, among Hispanic, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander children are almost double those of white children, making it the most prevalent chronic disease among these populations—occurring five times as frequently as asthma.

Researchers at Northern Arizona University have been working on a major study of 350 minority preschoolers in northern Arizona for three years to demonstrate that biological components combine with socioeconomic factors, including poverty and access to dental care, to increase tooth decay.

Now, with funding through NAU’s Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative (SHERC), the team has begun the first large-scale effort to understand the biological factors that drive tooth decay in preschool-aged children in Yuma and on the island of Hawai’i (the Big Island). Read more …