How did you find me?
We absolutely understand that this might be a bit of a strange letter to receive!
Essentially, it is most likely that your parents donated your baby tooth when you were a child to the Baby Tooth Survey. This study looked at radiation from above ground nuclear testing. Many of these teeth were used for just this, but some were left over after the nuclear test ban was enacted by JFK–at least one of them was yours!
Attached to your donated teeth were cards filled out by your parents with your name, childhood address, and birthday. We then use an address verification service to help us search public records for your current contact information. It wasn’t always perfect, but we’ve been very impressed with its track record!
Am I in this study?
If you believe your teeth were donated as a child and you have not received an invitation letter for the current study, please email us at slbt@hsph.harvard.edu with your full name (and original childhood last name)! If you do not have access to an email at this time, you can also call us at 617-432-0041 with the above information, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Please note: we currently have about 100,000 of the 300,000 teeth from the original study. Unfortunately, the original study sometimes used destructive analytical techniques that involved crushing and combining many teeth to get one test result. It is possible that any teeth you donated to the original study were used in that process, so we may not have them even if you remember donating them. We will let you know if we have your teeth upon your request.
We do not have access to results from the original study, so we are unable to provide you with any of your results from that study if they exist.
I have a relative/friend who may have a tooth in your study, can they participate?
Please have the person in question contact us directly at slbt@hsph.harvard.edu with their full name (and original childhood last name). Once we receive their email, we can check if we have their baby teeth. If the person in question does not have internet access, they can also call us at 617-432-0041 with the above information, and we will get back to them as soon as we can.
Please note: we currently have about 100,000 of the 300,000 teeth from the original study. Unfortunately, the original study sometimes used destructive analytical techniques that involved crushing and combining many teeth to get one test result. It is possible that any teeth you donated to the original study were used in that process, so we may not have them even if you remember donating them. We will let you know if we have your teeth upon your request.
We do not have access to results from the original study, so we are unable to provide you with any of your results from that study if they exist.
I received my invitation letter- how do I participate?
Please click here to begin our study by reading our consent form and to access the study survey and cognitive tests!
At the very bottom of the consent form, you will need to enter your unique 6-digit study ID, which can be found halfway through the third paragraph of your study invitation letter. You will then be asked if you would like to participate in the study. If you would like to continue, please enter your 6-digit study ID, select “Yes” and then click the crimson “Next” at the bottom of the screen. On the final page of the survey, there is a submit button. When you click submit, you will be automatically redirected to your cognitive test.
If for some reason you are unable to access the survey, please email us at slbt@hsph.harvard.edu with your study ID, full name, and further details on your situation! If you do not have access to an email at this time, please call us at 617-432-0041 with the above information, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
How are you keeping my data safe?
Our entire study, including any method of using or accessing your data, is monitored by Harvard’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Harvard’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research (which oversees data safety and research compliance), as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the sponsor of this work, to make sure we are up to every standard for human subjects research and data safety.
Additionally, all personnel on the study are required to be certified in human subjects protection training. We take every precaution to make sure all data stays private.
After the study is completed, your data would only be made public if it was completely anonymized—meaning any and all personally identifiable information was removed—so no information could be traced back to you.
How do I update my contact information/name?
Our apologies if we’ve misspelled your name or address! If you would like to give us your preferred contact information or name, please click here to access our update information form.
The participant you are trying to contact has passed away, how do I let you know?
Please accept our condolences and apologies if receiving this letter has caused you any distress. Please click here to access our update information form to let us know that the participant we are trying to contact is deceased. We ask that you provide the study ID on the invitation letter and fill out the relevant questions on the form. There are several options for you if you would like to be further involved with this study on behalf of the deceased participant.
Can I take a paper survey instead of taking the test online?
We are currently in the process of developing a paper survey for those who are unable to participate in our study online. Unfortunately, the cognitive test is only available online, so we do encourage online participation if possible. If you are unable to complete the survey online, please click here to access our update information form and select the option to request a paper survey.
How do I provide feedback/comments on the study?
We are continuously trying to improve and refine our study—thank you for voicing your thoughts and opinions as part of this process! If you would like to leave us feedback or comments, please click here to access our update information form and select the option to provide feedback.
I’m not the right person listed on the invitation letter!
If you received a study invitation letter addressed to the wrong individual, please click here and select the option for incorrectly contacted individuals.
I can’t find my study ID!
Your study ID is halfway through the third paragraph of your study invitation letter! If you still cannot find your study ID, please contact us at slbt@hsph.harvard.edu with your full name (and original childhood last name), and we will find it for you. If you are unable to email us at this time, please call us at 617-432-0041 with the above information, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
I can’t find the place to log in to complete the survey!
When you go to hsph.me/slbt, you will first see our study’s landing page. Click on the first box, “Start the study!”, or you can click here. You will see the consent form as well as more information about the study at the top of the page.
Once you read through the consent form, scroll to the very bottom of this page using your mouse, the down arrow on your keyboard, or the scroll bar on the right side of the page (highlighted in yellow below).
At the very bottom of the consent form, you will need to enter your unique 6-digit study ID, which can be found halfway through the third paragraph of your study invitation letter. You will then be asked if you would like to participate in the study. If you would like to continue, please enter your 6-digit study ID, select “Yes” and then click the crimson “Next ” at the bottom of the screen (highlighted in red below)!
If the problem persists, please switch internet web browsers (e.g. switch to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) and try this process again!
If you still cannot access the survey, please email us at slbt@hsph.harvard.edu with your study ID, full name, and further details on your situation! If you do not have access to an email at this time, please call us at 617-432-0041 with the above information, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Can I leave in the middle of taking the survey and come back?
Yes! Although it would be ideal to complete all parts of the survey in one go, we understand that you may need to save your answers and return later. In the event you need to leave and come back, please click the “Return Later” button at the bottom of the screen (highlighted in yellow below)!
When you click this button, you will be shown a new web page with a URL (written in blue text) that you can save and use to return to your survey at any time. Below this URL, you will also have the option to submit your email and you will be sent the URL to return to your place in the survey.
If you are unable to re-access your survey, please email us at slbt@hsph.harvard.edu with your study ID, full name, and further details on your situation! If you do not have access to an email at this time, please call us at 617-432-0041 with the above information, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Can I leave in the middle of taking the cognitive test and come back?
Yes! Although it would be ideal to complete all parts of the survey in one go, we understand that you may need to save your answers and return later. Please make sure you complete your current section before you leave the page.
If you entered your email as your preferred contact method at the beginning of the survey, you should automatically be emailed a link to your cognitive test once you submit the survey. Please check your spam folder if you do not see it! You can use this link to return to your cognitive test home page. If you did not provide an email at the beginning of the survey and would like your link to your cognitive test, please email us at slbt@hsph.harard.edu or call us at 617-432-0041 and we provide it.
How do I find the results of my cognitive test?
At the end of the cognitive test (which you should be automatically redirected to upon completing the survey) a blue “My Results” will appear in the upper right corner of the cognitive test home screen. This will contain the results of all your cognitive tests!
If you entered your email as your preferred contact method at the beginning of the survey, you should automatically be emailed a link to your cognitive test once you submit the survey. Please check your spam folder if you do not see it! You can use this link to return to your cognitive test home page. If you did not provide an email at the beginning of the survey and would like your link to your cognitive test, please email us at slbt@hsph.harard.edu or call us at 617-432-0041 and we provide it.
Will I get my individual results from my baby tooth?
We do not have access to any results from the original baby tooth survey, so unfortunately we cannot provide them to you.
In this phase of the study, we do not have any individual tooth analyses, but if you are randomly selected for Phase II, we may test your donated baby teeth. We are currently working with Harvard’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) to determine the ethical best practices for returning those results. If you would like to provide feedback about this or anything else about the study, please click here to access our update information form and select the option to provide feedback.
Do you have my DNA?
We do not currently have a plan to try and extract DNA from the teeth. We are also unsure if it would be technically or economically feasible to extract DNA from your teeth, as they have been sitting in storage for about 50 years!
In the incredibly small chance that we do test for DNA in previously donated teeth, we would need to go through, and get approval from, our Institutional Review Board (IRB) that ensures we are up to the highest standards in human subjects research. For that sort of research, Harvard’s IRB would require us to get specific approval from you to examine your specific DNA.
I just had a tooth extracted – do you want it?
Sure! If you don’t mind mailing us your extracted tooth it may be helpful to the study! We cannot guarantee we will analyze it. If we do analyze it, we cannot guarantee we will be able to provide any results. Any costs you incur by sending your tooth cannot be reimbursed. If this is ok with you, please wrap your extracted tooth in a soft material and include a note with your study ID, full name, and if you have it, your extraction date and tooth type. You can send the package or envelope to:
Marc Weisskopf
665 Huntington Ave, Bldg 1, Suite 1402
Boston, MA 02115
What is Phase II of the study and how can I participate in Phase II?
We are randomly inviting about 1000 participants who have completed both the survey and cognitive test to join Phase II of the study. Unfortunately, this must be done through random selection, so we are unable to take volunteers unless they have already been selected. Phase II, like Phase I, is entirely voluntary, and you are not obligated to participate even if you are selected!
We will be asking Phase II participants to donate blood, toenails (yes, toenails!) and, for some, tap water to our study. We will send you all the required materials and instructions. You will also receive another consent form with more information at the time you are selected. Please keep a look out for future emails or letters from the St. Louis Baby Teeth Team inviting you to join Phase II!
How do I opt out of the study?
If you would no longer like to be contacted by our study, please click here to access our update information form and provide your study ID and select one of our two opt-out options. This will remove you from our study, but you are always welcome to email slbt@hsph.harvard.edu or call us at 617-432-0041 with any questions or concerns.
If your question has not been answered here, please email slbt@hsph.harvard.edu or call 617-432-0041.
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