Clinical outcomes for Early Childhood Caries (ECC): the influence of health locus of control

Authors:

ABSTRACT

Aim

To assess the relationship between clinical outcomes for children treated for ECC and health locus of control. STUDY
DESIGN AND

Methods

The study cohort consisted of 79 children (42 males, 37 females) treated for ECC; age range was 2.3-7.3
years (mean 4.2 years) at the time of entry into the study. A questionnaire developed by DeVellis et al., 1993 was
administered to each child's parent(s) on the day of dental surgery. This questionnaire examined the expectation that healthcare
outcomes in children are influenced by one of the following loci of control: Professional, Parent, Child, Media, Fate and Divine. The
cohort was evaluated for new caries lesions at 6 months post dental surgery. Relapse was defined as the presence of new smooth
surface caries lesions. STATISTICS: For each locus, the scores for the Relapse versus Non-relapse groups (returning patients) and the
scores for the returning versus non-returning patients were compared using t-tests.

Results

57 children (72) returned for
follow-up and 21 of these 57 (37) relapsed. No statistically significant difference for Relapse versus Non-relapse groups was
indicated with respect to the scores for any locus parameter (p values ranged from 0.35 to 0.95). Returning parents (N=57) versus non-
returning parents (N=22) exhibited statistically significant differences with respect to the Parent, Divine and Fate loci. Returning parents
exhibited higher scores on the Parent locus (p=0.0392) and lower scores on the Fate (p=0.0024) and Divine (p=0.0031) loci.

Conclusion

1) The relapse rate (37) was high and rapid for children treated for ECC; 2) no meaningful difference existed
between the Relapse versus Non-relapse groups with respect to each health locus of control parameter; 3) parents who returned for
follow-up care appeared to have an internal health locus of control while those who did not return had an external locus.

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