1. The Relationship between Teeth Condition, Dental Care, Cognition, and Other Individual Differences Christopher Koch George Fox University
Abstract
Methods
Results
Discussion
Questionnaires concerning oral hygiene, dental problems, eating behaviors, everyday memory and attention, conscientiousness, anxiety, exercise, and diet quality were administered to 100 participants. Perceived condition of one’s teeth was related to oral problems more so than oral hygiene. Further, condition of teeth was related to everyday attention but not memory.
Participants
General psychology students volunteered to participate in the study for class credit. The sample of 98 participants was primarily Caucasian (81%) and ranged between 17 and 23 years of age. The majority of the participants'’ mothers completed some college (29%) or had a college degree (33%). Similarly, the majority of the participants'’ fathers completed some college (19%) or had a college degree (32%). Nearly 63% of the participants visit the dentist twice per year and approximately 73% had an insurance policy covering dental work.
Measures
Dental health was examined with a series of checklists. These checklists concerned oral hygiene (e.g., brushing and flossing), oral problems (e.g., jaw or facial pain), and dental risk factors (e.g., sweetened drinks, smoking). Everyday memory errors were assessed using the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ; Sunderland, Harris, & Gleave, 1984) while attention to behaviors and surroundings was assessed with the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003). In addition to these measures, conscientiousness (cf., Goldberg, 1999), anxiety (PHQ-9; Kroenke & Spitzer, 2002), exercise (Pasman & Thompson, 1988), and diet quality (Wong et al, 2013) were also examined. One hundred college-aged participants completed the questionnaires.
Condition of Teeth
There were several oral hygiene, oral problems, and risk factors that influence how participants thought about their own teeth. Gums bleeding after flossing was the only oral hygiene factor influencing the perceived condition of one’s own teeth (F(1, 86) = 5.02, p < .03) and how the participants thought their teeth compared to other people their own age (F(1, 86) = 6.11, p < .02). Having bad breath lasting longer than one day influenced how participants thought their teeth compared to others their age (F(1, 90) = 4.58, p < .04) but how they felt about their own teeth. Having a dry mouth for more than one day, however, influenced both how participants thought their teeth compared to others their age (F(1, 90) = 4.20, p < .05) and how they felt about the condition of their own teeth (F(1, 90) = 5.09, p < .03). Having problems with crooked teeth within the last six months influenced how participants thought their teeth compared to others their age (F(1, 88) = 8.38, p < .005) and how they felt about the condition of their own teeth (F(1, 88) = 13.08, p < .001). Similarly, having broken teeth within the last six months influenced how participants thought their teeth compared to others their age (F(1, 88) = 6.08, p < .02) and how they felt about the condition of their own teeth (F(1, 88) = 10.98, p < .001). Finally, having stained teeth within the last six months influenced how participants thought their teeth compared to others their age (F(1, 88) = 10.95, p < .001) and how they felt about the condition of their own teeth (F(1, 88) = 6.02, p < .02). None of the dental risk factors (behaviors) were associated with the condition of their own teeth; however, drinking any beverage five or more times per day (F(1, 91) = 7.93, p< .01), consuming sweetened drinks (F(1, 91) = 13.18, p < .001), and consuming alcohol (F(1, 91) = 6.27, p < .02) were related to how they thought their teeth compared to others.
Individual Differences
Although there were a number of significant correlations between the other measures of individual differences, only higher levels of everyday awareness, as measured by the MAAS, were associated with better teeth condition. Everyday memory, conscientiousness, quality of diet, exercise, and anxiety were not related to teeth condition.
These findings suggest that how individuals perceive the condition of their own teeth is largely due to a subset of dental problems more so than oral hygiene and eating behaviors. Since dental problems, such as dealing with crooked teeth, are largely out of the control of the individual, it is not surprising that individual differences in everyday memory, conscientiousness, anxiety, diet, and exercise do not appear to be related to the perceived condition of one’s own teeth. The moderate relationship between everyday attention and condition of teeth may be due to a more pronounced awareness of dental problems. Additional research is required to more fully determine the reason for this relationship.
Introduction
References
Cognitive factors can play an important role in dental care. For instance, the role of cognitive impairment in dental health has been explored (e.g., Stewart & Hirani, 2007). More specifically, cognitive impairment has been included in studies focusing on dental care among the elderly (e.g., Naorungroj et al, 2013). Cognitions associated with dental anxiety have also been examined (e.g., Carillo-Diaz et al, 2012). Furthermore, the impact of attention difficulties associated with attention deficit disorder and autism have been examined in the context of providing dental care to individuals with those disorders (e.g., Charles, 2010). Additionally, the effects of sedation agents on memory and mood have been area of research (e.g., Thompson et al, 1999). The relationship between dental health and everyday memory and attention were examined in this study.
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Poster presented at APS 2014