NAU assistant professor Viacheslav \u201cSlava\u201d Fofanov<\/strong> of NAU\u2019s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems<\/a> has been leading the study in northern Arizona. Along with Regents\u2019 professor Julie A. Baldwin<\/strong>\u2014director of NAU\u2019s Center for Health Equity Research<\/a> and principal investigator of SHERC\u2014 Fofanov will collaborate on the new study with Misty Pacheco, associate professor of kinesiology and exercise sciences at the University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo. Pacheco also was recently awarded a two-year diversity supplement from SHERC to design a targeted intervention education program in Hawai\u02bbi for preschoolers and their families.<\/p>\n Fofanov and Baldwin said they decided to partner with Pacheco because the main study in Arizona does not include children who are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Similar social determinants of health exist on the Big Island as in many rural populations in the continental U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are so excited to be able to work with Dr. Pacheco at the University of Hawai\u02bbi on this project and to support her career development through this newly funded Diversity Supplement,\u201d Baldwin said. \u201cSHERC is dedicated to building the research capacity of underrepresented scholars and this project will do just that, while tackling a major health disparity experienced among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEarly childhood caries among preschool-aged children, specifically Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander preschoolers, are a major priority not only for the Big Island, but also the State of Hawai\u02bbi,\u201d Pacheco said. \u201cTo be able to address this critical health disparity in my hometown is a privilege, as is the opportunity to work with Drs. Baldwin and Fofanov, who have been amazing mentors and partners.\u201d<\/p>\n In both studies, the goals for researchers are to determine the impact of classroom-based microbiome and bacterial transmission on tooth decay rates. Fofanov and his colleagues have found that the strains S. mutans<\/em> and S. sobrinus<\/em> are the bacteria that most contribute to childhood tooth decay. The bacteria metabolize carbohydrates and produce highly acidic byproducts that change the pH in a person\u2019s mouth, which leads to demineralization of tooth enamel. Fofanov said that preschools, as well as family households, are ideal environments for the bacteria to spread.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of the choice to examine children in preschool is that they are a lot more isolated (as a group) than elementary school students,\u201d Fofanov said. \u201cWe know that the problems that start in the preschool are continuing beyond there.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that through their research, the team hopes to discover the best interventions to eliminate the bacteria and improve dental health, especially among minority groups. They also hope to reduce dental costs nationally. In 2012 alone, early childhood tooth decay cost $1.6 billion in emergency dental care in the U.S.<\/p>\n
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