Impact of Food Based Reward Behavior on Children's Oral Health

Purpose: A study was conducted to evaluate the possible relationship between food-based rewards and children’s oral health status using a cross-sectional design within two pediatric dentistry clinical settings, University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and Glen Ellyn Pediatric Dentistry. Methods: Following determination of eligibility, data collection was completed using a survey for guardians and a clinical exam for their children. The survey detailed guardian demographic information as well as food-based and non-food-based reward behaviors. The clinical exam collected dmft scores and plaque index. A score was calculated for each type of reward and was used to complete statistical analysis with dmft and plaque index. Results: Seventy-eight subject data pairs were collected, four were excluded due to incomplete information giving a total of 74 subjects. Statistical analysis completed using SPSS showed that there was no correlation between reward type, dmft or plaque index. Insurance level was a predictor for plaque index, but no other demographic factors affected the outcomes. Conclusions: This study did not demonstrate a relationship between food-based rewards and oral health outcomes of dmft and plaque index. More research is needed in order to determine possible mediating and influencing factors between food-based reward and oral health status.