Dr. Raul Garcia
In June 2015, Dr. Belinda Borrelli and Dr. Raul Garcia were published in a special issue of the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, which is the official publication of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Borrelli is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Director of Behavioral Science Research, and Dr. Garcia is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Director of the Northeast Center for Research to Evaluate and Eliminate Dental Disparities (CREEDD).
Click here for a link to Dr. Borrelli’s publication. Pediatric Dentistry, Volume 37, Number 3, May/June 2015, pp. 254-265
Click here for a link to Dr. Garcia’s publication. Pediatric Dentistry, Volume 37, Number 3, May/June 2015, pp. 294-299
Dr. Belinda Borrelli
Dr. Borrelli was the lead author on a paper published in the special issue of the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry titled: “Motivational Interviewing for Parent-Child Health Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Dr. Erin Tooley from Roger Williams University and Dr. Lori Scott-Sheldon from Brown University were co-authors.
Dr. Garcia’s paper, published in the same special issue, was titled: “Progress in Early Childhood Caries and Further Opportunities with Research, Policy, and Clinical Management.” Dr. Borrelli is also listed as a second author on this paper.
The paper that Dr. Borrelli was the lead author on—“Motivational Interviewing for Parent-Child Health Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”—analyzed the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI), a patient-centered treatment focused on building intrinsic motivation, in a number of health behavior change studies in which MI was used to improve pediatric health behavior and outcomes.
The meta-analysis included 25 studies published between 2001 and 2014 (with 5,130 participants).
Relative to comparison groups, MI was associated with significant improvements in health behaviors (e.g., oral health behaviors, diet, physical activity, reduced screen time, smoking cessation, reduced second hand smoke) and reduction in body mass index.
Results suggest that MI may also outperform comparison groups in terms of dental caries, but more studies are needed. MI interventions were more successful at improving diets for Caucasians and when the intervention included more MI components.
Borrelli et. Al. concluded that motivational interviewing with parental involvement may be an effective way to improve children’s oral health behaviors.
Dr. Garcia’s paper—“Progress in Early Childhood Caries and Further Opportunities with Research, Policy, and Clinical Management” discussed the 2014 Early Childhood Caries (ECC) Conference and further opportunities for treating ECC. The Early Childhood Caries Conference was first held in 1997; since then, there has been extensive progress in understanding, preventing, and managing ECC.
Although ECC prevalence in the United States has declined, ECC is still relatively common in some populations. African American children are twice as likely to have ECC as non-Hispanic Caucasian children, and over 50% of American Indian children have ECC.
There is also limited evidence on effective intervention for ECC for children below the age of six. While significant progress has been made, Dr. Garcia and colleagues identified ways ECC prevention and treatment can continue to improve. To continue to improve ECC management and hence health care for children, more clinical trials are needed.
“Dr. Borrelli and Dr. Garcia’s publications in the special issue of the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry are excellent scientific articles that serve as a testament to their continued commitment to thoughtful innovation in dental research,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “I congratulate both of them for their publications.”