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thesis 2016 (Menchaca, Renajia L.).pdf (678.3 KB)

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The effect of early dental care on pediatric patient behavior

Menchaca, Renajia LaShea'
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9691-9323
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1469195794

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Dental Hygiene, Ohio State University, Dental Hygiene.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if early dental care had an effect on the behavior of a child. The American Academy of pediatric dentistry recommends a child have their first dental visit by age one. Research shows this recommendation of an early dental visit is beneficial in prevention due to early childhood caries being so prevalent amongst the pediatric patient population, but there is no current research suggesting early dental care will affect a child’s behavior at dental appointments. Methods: A retrospective study was completed using a convenience sample of patients in a private pediatric dental practice. To be included in the study patients had to have at least a two-year dental history in the dental practice, they had to be between the ages of six months to eight years old, and their first visit had to include a prophylaxis. Patients with a medical alert were excluded from this study. The Frankl behavior scale was used to measure patient behavior. Results: The results showed a slight positive correlation between patient age and Frankl behavior (r=.282, p=.001). There was no significant difference of behavior based on gender. There was also no significant in the age of a child at their first dental visit and the behavior of a child at their first dental visit. Conclusion: Evidence suggests a slight positive behavior change as a child increases in age. This study also showed no significant evidence of the age of a child at their first dental visit having a direct effect on the child’s behavior as they get older and gain more dental experiences. Establishing a dental home by the recommended age of the AAPD (age one) is important in educating parents on prevention of decay, but according to this study, establishing a dental home at an early age does not affect behavior.
Michele Carr (Advisor)
Rachel Kearney (Advisor)
Erin Gross, Dr (Committee Member)
33 p.
Dental Care

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Citations

  • Menchaca, R. L. (2016). The effect of early dental care on pediatric patient behavior [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1469195794

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Menchaca, Renajia. The effect of early dental care on pediatric patient behavior. 2016. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1469195794.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Menchaca, Renajia. "The effect of early dental care on pediatric patient behavior." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1469195794

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1469195794
2,182
© 2016, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The effect of early dental care on pediatric patient behavior by Renajia LaShea' Menchaca is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.