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Influence of Temperament As a Risk Indicator for Early Childhood Caries
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Influence of Temperament As a Risk Indicator for Early Childhood Caries

Rocio Quinonez, Robert Santos, George Eckert, Martha Ann Keels, Steven Levy, Barcey Levy, Richard Jackson and Margherita Fontana
Pediatric dentistry, Vol.42(6), pp.470-475
11/15/2020
PMCID: PMC7773143
PMID: 33369559

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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the association between temperament and caries. Methods: A total of 408 primary caregiver-child pairs were followed for 36 months; they completed the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire Very Short-Form (ECBQ-VSF) at age four years. Demographic, behavioral, and clinical data were obtained at ages one, two-and-a-half, and four years, with caries experience assessed each time using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS). The ECBQ-VSF (36 items) was used to measure three child temperament domains: (1) surgency; (2) negative affect; and (3) effortful control. The associations between cavitated carious lesion experience by age four years (decayed, missing, and filled primary surfaces [dmfs] score greater than zero; d equals ICDAS score greater than or equal to three) and the three ECBQ-VSF temperament domains were analyzed using generalized estimating equation models. Results: Temperament domains predicted the number of carious surfaces (dmfs). After adjusting for covariates, every one-point increase in surgency and one-point increase in negative affect were associated with 77 percent and 31 percent increases in dmfs, respectively (P<0.05), and every one-point increase in effortful control was associated with a 39 percent decrease in dmfs (P<0.05). Conclusions: By age four years, children with higher levels of surgency and negative affect have a higher caries experience, whereas children with greater effortful control have a lower caries experience.
Caries Risk Children Cohort Study Dental Caries Temperament

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