WHAT IS THE MY SMILE BUDDY PROGRAM’S GOAL?

The overall GOAL of the MySmileBuddy Program is to improve children’s oral health by
establishing and maintaining positive oral health behaviors. The MySmileBuddy Program helps parents by identifying and addressing risk factors for the disease (“caries”) that causes cavities.

If a child already has cavities, or early signs of caries, the Program will help families adopt behaviors that stop disease progression.

If a child does not have cavities, the Program will help families ensure their child’s long-term oral health.

Using theory-based educational technology, principles of motivational interviewing, and concepts of chronic disease management, the MySmileBuddy Program guides families -- or their MySmileBuddy-trained coaches -- to:

understand the caries process and how to implement daily management of this disease;
pinpoint a child’s particular risks for tooth decay;
set a health-behavior goal;
create a family-specific action plan to reach that goal … and then;
receive ongoing automated support from the MySmileBuddy App -- long enough to establish and sustain a healthy diet and effective oral hygiene behaviors.