earticle

영어

Background: To analyze the effect of self-regulation on the fear of dental treatment in order to use it as basic data for efficient oral health care among male adolescents. Methods: A survey was administered to 241 first graders of specialized high schools in Daegu using a self-entry method. Twenty questions about fear of dental treatment and fifteen questions about self-regulation were included. The higher the score, the higher the fear of dental treatment and the self-regulation ability, showing a high reliability of 0.972 and 0.750, respectively. Results: The mean score of the participants’ self-regulation ability was 3.25±0.51 and that of the degree of fear for dental treatment was relatively low at 1.72±0.85. It was confirmed that the higher the academic performance (F=7.635, p<0.01), the better was the self-regulation based on self-diagnosis (F=3.142, p<0.05), and was associated with higher health awareness (F=5.894, p<0.01). The degree of fear for dental treatment was significantly higher in the self-diagnosis-induced poor health group (F=4.933, p<0.01) and associated with a lower awareness of health (F=3.093, p<0.05). The participants’ self-regulation ability was significantly negatively correlated with the degree of fear regarding dental treatment (r=-0.269, p<0.01). Regression analysis was performed using the degree of fear as a dependent variable and including sub-area variables of self-diagnosis-based health status, perception of health, and self-regulation ability as independent variables (β=-0.163, p<0.05). Among the self-regulation abilities, controlled composition (β=-0.232, p<0.01) had a significant effect; the higher the composition, the lower the degree of fear. The total explanatory power of this variable was 8.5%. Conclusion: An appropriate customized education program that can encourage individuals to practice self-care and maintain oral hygiene along with a clear understanding of underlying individual oral health conditions during adolescence is essential for promoting oral health.