Infant2Child: Optimising nutrition in early life to reduce childhood dental caries (Infant2Child)
Infant2Child is a prospective observational study that seeks to understand early life influences on child health and evaluate the effect of a community-level early life nutrition program (INFANT) on dental health at 4 years. The study will recruit families enrolled in an existing study, Infant to Scale, which will evaluate the implementation of the INFANT program in Victoria. Infant2Child will seek to recruit approximately 3000 of the participants at 18-24 months. Participants will be assessed at two key stages, 2 years and 4 years of age, in order to evaluate the effect of the INFANT program on diet, toothbrushing, the oral microbiome and dental health in early childhood and develop additional strategies to identify and prevent dental caries in high risk children.
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | Infant2Child: Optimising nutrition in early life to reduce childhood dental caries |
| Study abbreviation | Infant2Child |
| Current principal investigator/s |
Mihiri Silva |
| Current project manager |
Olivia Walsh |
| Primary Institution/s |
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI
|
| Collaborating Institution/s |
Deakin University
The University of Melbourne - UoM Dental Health Services Victoria |
| Major funding source/s |
Medical Research Future Fund - MRFF |
| Study focus |
Infant2Child has 3 key aims: 1) to evaluate the effect of a universal, early life intervention (INFANT) on dental caries prevalence and severity at 4 years; 2) to estimate the extent to which toothbrushing habits can influence the causal pathway from sugar consumption to dental caries at 4 years and whether these relationships are socioeconomically patterned; 3) to develop an early life microbiome-based prediction tool to identify children at risk of severe dental caries |
| Sampling frame |
Participants are recruited from an implementation effectiveness study, Infant to Scale, looking at early life nutrition and lifestyle run by our collaborators at Deakin University. Children participating in the Infant to Scale implementation study aged 18-24 months will be invited to participate in Infant2Child. We aim to recruit all 1500 participants in the comparison group and 1500 participants in the Infant to Scale intervention group. |
| Primary study type |
Observational study |
| Primary participant (at recruitment) | Index child |
| Year commenced |
2021 |
| Is this study ongoing? | Yes - the study is ongoing |
| Ongoing recruitment? | Yes |
| Sample size (N) |
Recruitment to commence 2022 |
| Survey data available? | Yes |
| Imaging data available? | Yes |
| Linkage to administrative dataset/s? | No, no consent to link to administrative dataset(s) obtained |
| Biosamples available? | Yes |
| Are data available to others outside study team, with appropriate safeguards and structures in line with the cohort’s ethics and governance processes? | Yes |
| Are there any costs associated with data/sample access for approved requests? | There are usually no costs associated with access |
| Broadest type of participant consent available |
Extended consent (can be used for future ethically approved research related to this project) |
| Study Contacts | |
|---|---|
| Principal investigator/s |
Mihiri Silva |
| Project manager |
Olivia Walsh |
| Study Contact |
Email: infant2child@mcri.edu.au |