Breaking the Cycle: Real-Time Family Oral Microbial Transmission Patterns as Intervention Targets

NCT07674888 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Pro00164902
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 225
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to understand how oral bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease spread among family members and whether treating multiple family members can reduce the return of these bacteria after dental treatment. Families with children aged 5-12 years will be recruited from university dental clinics. Participants will be assigned to one of three treatment groups: treatment for the child only, treatment for the child and parents, or treatment for all family members. Researchers will collect oral bacterial samples from family members before and after treatment and will monitor close-contact interactions within the household using wearable proximity-tracking devices. The study will also collect information about oral health habits, family interactions, and environmental factors that may influence bacterial transmission. By combining bacterial DNA analysis with information about family contact patterns, researchers hope to better understand how oral bacteria are shared within households and whether family-based treatment approaches can reduce bacterial recolonization after dental therapy. The results of this study may help improve strategies for preventing childhood tooth decay and gum disease by addressing family-level sources of bacterial transmission.

Conditions

Dental Caries; Periodontitis; Oral Microbiome; Bacterial Transmission

Keywords

family microbial transmission; Oral microbiome; Plaque recolonization; Pediatric oral health; Real-time proximity tracking; Ultrawide Band (UWB); Oral bacterial transmission; Intergenerational pathogen transfer; Biofilm disruption; Periodontal disease; Family-based intervention; Microbial source tracking; Oral Health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Proportional Contribution of Familial Sources to Oral Microbial Recolonization

  Percentage contribution (%) of each household member to the primary child's post-treatment oral microbial recolonization, estimated using bacterial DNA sequencing and Bayesian microbial source-tracking (STENSL).

  3 Months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Oral Microbial Community Reconstitution

  Baseline to 3 Months

• Frequency of Close-Contact Interactions Measured using Ultrawide Band (UWB)

  1 Week

• Correlation Between Close-Contact Duration and Familial Contribution to Oral Microbial Recolonization

  Baseline to 3 Months

Study Arms (3)

Child-Only Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

The primary child participant receives professional dental plaque disruption and oral hygiene intervention. Other household members do not receive study-related treatment.

Procedure: Professional Dental Plaque Disruption

Child Plus Parents Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

The primary child participant and both parents receive professional dental plaque disruption and oral hygiene intervention

Procedure: Professional Dental Plaque Disruption

Whole-Family Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

All participating household members receive professional dental plaque disruption and oral hygiene intervention using a family-wide treatment approach.

Procedure: Professional Dental Plaque Disruption

Interventions

Professional Dental Plaque Disruption PROCEDURE

Professional dental plaque disruption and oral hygiene treatment performed to reduce oral bacterial burden. The intervention may include professional dental cleaning, plaque removal, and periodontal therapy as clinically indicated according to study group assignment.

Child Plus Parents Treatment; Child-Only Treatment; Whole-Family Treatment

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 5 Years - 5 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: All-Equal numbers of male and female participants will be recruited.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Families with at least two children aged 5-12 years living in the same household.
• least one parent or guardian diagnosed with Stage II or III periodontitis requiring non-surgical periodontal therapy.
• At least one child who has undergone caries treatment and is considered at high risk for disease recurrence.
• Willingness of all participating household members to provide oral samples and participate in study procedures.
• Ability of participants or their legal guardians to provide informed consent, and assent from children where applicable.

You may not qualify if:

• Children living in multiple households or shared-custody arrangements during the study period.
• Households unable to complete study visits or follow-up procedures.
• Individuals unwilling or unable to comply with study procedures.
• Individuals who do not provide informed consent or assent, where applicable.
• Medical or behavioral conditions that, in the opinion of the investigators, would preclude safe participation in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alberta: lead

Study Sites (1)

Kaye Edmonton Clinic - University of Alberta School of Dentistry

Edmonton, Alberta, T6G2L7, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dental Caries; Periodontitis; Periodontal Diseases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Demineralization; Tooth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases; Mouth Diseases

Central Study Contacts

Khaled Altabtbaei, BDM, PhD

CONTACT

780-777-2456; altabtba@ualberta.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Participants and investigators will know which treatment group the family has been assigned to.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Families will be randomized to one of three parallel intervention groups: (A) child-only treatment, (B) child plus parent treatment, or (C) treatment of all family members. Outcomes will be compared across groups to evaluate the effect of reducing household pathogen burden on oral microbial recolonization.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 22, 2026
• First Posted: June 30, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 30, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2028
• Last Updated: June 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

CA (1)