Cash for cavity prevention: rewards boost Kids' toothbrushing?
NCT ID NCT03576326
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether offering small financial rewards (like a drawing for a prize) could motivate parents to brush their young children's teeth more often. About 244 families with kids in Early Head Start programs took part. The goal was to see if the reward program increased the number of times per week parents brushed their child's teeth for at least one minute.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- financial incentive drawing program
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way to improve toothbrushing habits in young children and reduce cavities.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial focused on behavior change, not a direct medical treatment. Results may not apply to all families or lead to lasting changes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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244 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2018
- Finished
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Jun 2021
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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6 to 47 months
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Child * at least 2 fully erupted teeth * enrolled in, or waitlisted for, one of the participating Los Angeles County Early Head Start (EHS) or affiliated day care center or area clinic programs * Parent/caregiver * provide signed and dated informed consent form in English or Spanish * agree to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study * aged 18 or older * speak either English or Spanish and self-reported ability to read and write either English or Spanish * be a parent or caregiver of a child at least 6 months old but less than 4 years (48 months), with at least 2 fully erupted teeth and enrolled in, or waitlisted for, one of the participating Los Angeles County EHS or affiliated day care center or area clinic programs * not be planning to move residence for the next 18 months outside the greater Los Angeles area * own a smartphone with Google Play or iTunes store app and be willing to download and install the smart powered toothbrush app at the Screening visit and keep it installed for the duration of the project. \[If the app cannot be properly installed by the baseline visit, the participant will not be randomized.\] * be willing to be contacted via text-messaging (SMS) for study related notifications, such as incentives earned or reminders to sync the toothbrush * Stakeholder * be a staff member at a participating study site (e.g. EHS or affiliated day care center) * verbally agree to participate after being provided a study information sheet Exclusion Criteria: * Child * known allergic reaction to components of the study product(s) * uncooperative or behaviorally unsuited (assessed during a toothbrush prophylaxis, ASTDD Basic Screening Survey caries screening, and photograph of maxillary incisors at the screening visit) * more than 2 crowns on maxillary incisor teeth (teeth# D, E, F, G, or equivalently #52, 51, 61, 62). * participated in the BEECON pilot trial * a sibling of a child enrolled in the study (the family's oldest child in the eligible age range will be the study child) * enrolled in foster care * anything else that would place him/her at increased health risk or preclude the individual's full compliance with or completion of the study * Parent/caregiver * participated in the BEECON pilot trial * unable or unwilling to install and use the smart powered toothbrush app during the run-in period
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Venice Family Clinic Children First Early Head Start
Santa Monica, California, 90405-1828, United States
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