# Integrative analysis of the oral microbiome of American Indian Infants and the impact of a childhood obesity-prevention home visiting program on early childhood caries

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $165,725

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Early childhood caries (ECC) has devastating and long-lasting health consequences. These include
higher healthcare costs, pain, infection, lower self-esteem, delayed speech development, poor performance in
school, and subsequent poor oral and overall health outcomes as adults. The prevalence of ECC in children of
American Indian (AI) families is considerably higher compared to all races in the United States, with ECC
occurrence as early as one year of age. ECC and the closely related health disparity early childhood obesity
(ECO), are critical for young AI children, especially in the Navajo community that has limited access to
nutritious food and clean, safe drinking water. Diet is a crucial contributing factor to ECC and ECO, where high
dietary sugar intake and early initiation of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) before six months of age
contribute significantly to both conditions in Navajo infants. Frequent sugar consumption drives the selection of
cariogenic bacteria and associated metabolic activities within the oral microbiota that ultimately results in caries
development. Acquisition and proliferation of cariogenic bacteria before two years of age have been associated
with an increased risk of caries. However, the development of the oral microbiome and the impact of the sugar
intake reduction on the pattern of microbiota in high-risk Navajo infants remain largely unknown.
 Recently, an ECO prevention program, called Family Spirit Nurture, was implemented in the Navajo
Shiprock community through a randomized controlled trial. The intervention focused on infant feeding practices
and SSB intake reduction. The trial enrolled mother-infant dyads and collected longitudinal oral samples from
infants aged 3 to 12 months, maternal and child confounding factors, and ECC status at 1 year of age. This
trial provided an unparalleled opportunity for the longitudinal investigation of Navajo infants at an early age with
two important specific aims: 1) evaluate the developing oral microbiome of Navajo infants in relation to
maternal and child confounding factors and the potential impact of the sugar reduction intervention on the oral
microbiome profiles and caries outcomes and 2) investigate the metabolome of Navajo infants’ oral microbial
communities in correlation with ECC outcomes at 12 months of age.
 We hypothesize that 1) the sugar reduction intervention may influence the oral microbiome composition
toward non-cariogenic species and reduce ECC outcome at 12 months of age, 2) there would be
developmental changes in the oral microbiome of caries-free Navajo infants and pathogenic shifts in the oral
microbiome pattern for those infants who eventually develop caries, 3) Microbial communities of the caries-
affected group at 12 months of age may have a higher level of carbohydrate metabolism-related metabolites
compared to the caries-free group, and 4) there exists caries-related metabolite signatures of Navajo infants.
The goal o...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10058210
- **Project number:** 1R03DE029301-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine Gayle Sutcliffe
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $165,725
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10058210

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10058210, Integrative analysis of the oral microbiome of American Indian Infants and the impact of a childhood obesity-prevention home visiting program on early childhood caries (1R03DE029301-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10058210. Licensed CC0.

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