Caries
Steven Lin, DDS, MBS
Pediatric Dental Resident
St. Barnabas Hospital
Fresh Meadows, New York, United States
Paul Chu, DDS
Program Director
St. Barnabas Hospital
Bronx, New York, United States
Christopher Lane, DDS
St. Barnabas Hospital
Leyla Nakisbendi, DMD
St. Barnabas Hospital
Bronx, New York, United States
Paul Chu, DDS
Program Director
St. Barnabas Hospital
Bronx, New York, United States
Leyla Nakisbendi, DMD
St. Barnabas Hospital
Bronx, New York, United States
Self-regulation is a developmental psychology concept that describes children’s ability to modulate emotional and cognitive processes to control their behavior. Self-regulation has been correlated with many social factors and health indicators. The present study investigates whether self-regulation is a factor in dental caries and can contribute to caries risk assessment. Participants ages 4 to 8 years old were recruited for this study when they presented with a parent for a dental exam visit at a clinic associated with St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, NY. A total of 110 participants recruited for the study were given a self-regulation task, in which they decided if they wanted 1 toy prize at the beginning of the dental appointment or wait until the end of the appointment for 2 prizes. Parents of the participants filled out an 18-question survey about their child’s self-regulation. These data were correlated with each participant’s decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) score. Results of the study show DMFT scores in low self-regulation participants (M = 5.91, SD = 4.76) were higher than those of high self-regulation participants (M = 5.21, SD = 3.76), but without a significant difference (P = .306). Age of participants demonstrated the most significant difference in self-regulation (P < .001). These results suggest that self-regulation does not correlate with DMFT scores, but does correlate with age. Considering that the participants in this study were primarily of a high caries risk, self-regulation may be more relevant in a population with more diversity in caries risk.