Factors Associated with Dental Fear and Anxiety in Children Aged 7 to 9 Years

Dahlander, Andreas; Soares, Fernanda Cunha; Grindefjord, Margaret; Dahllöf, Göran

doi:10.3390/dj7030068

Cited by 84 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…[30][31][32][33] The results of the study emphasize that pediatric dentists should focus on the psychological aspects that the treatment can cause, thus, preventing painful and traumatic experiences. 34,35 This current study presents some limitations. First, based on the availability and accessibility of participants, we used a convenience sample, which could limit the generalizability of our results to the broader population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety among Russian Children of Different Ages: The Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2020

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Abstract Objective Children’s dental fear may lead to an avoidance of seeking dental care or disruptive behavior during treatment. The study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence and scores of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) among Russian children of different ages with an experience of dental treatment. Materials and Methods The cross-sectional study included 371 children aged 2 to 17 years. Study participants were divided into three groups according to their age: 112 “preschool children” aged 2 to 5 years, 137 “school children” aged 6 to 11 years, and 122 “adolescents” aged 12 to 18 years. The questionnaires were distributed at reception areas of the dental clinic to parents of children aged 2 to 5 years and to the older children themselves. Statistical Analysis Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 15.0. The parametric tests were used (one-way ANOVA, Student’s t-test, and Pearson’s correlation) because of the expected sample of more than 100 observations. The chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Results The data have shown that 93.8% of the Russian child population visiting dental offices suffer mostly from moderate (11.85) levels of DFA. DFA was more often revealed in girls and among the youngest children aged 2 to 5 years. Conclusions According to the obtained results, children were more afraid of “tooth drilling” and an “injection of local anesthetic” than other factors mentioned in the questionnaires. Fear of dental treatment is common among Russian children, and the factors associated with it differ with the gender and age of the child.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety among Russian Children of Different Ages: The Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2020

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“…Previous research has related dental anxiety in children to various factors such as personality traits, increased general fears, a history of painful dental experiences, parental dental fears and other family-related factors [22,40,41]. Some studies have also found that it tends to be higher in girls than boys, and in younger children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Providing children with dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular during the increased social restrictions, can be a challenging task. It is known that appointments are often met with dental fear and anxiety, while 7–8% of children in pre- and early school age display it at a level which might interfere with dental procedures [ 22 , 23 ]. This primarily originates from fears of procedure and pain [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], but under pandemic-related lockdown these emotions and feelings can potentially be further exacerbated by the new stressors present in their environment as well as by the psychological tension resonating from the caregivers who need to take a decision to leave home and potentially risk contracting SARS-CoV-2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children’s Dental Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Polish Experience

Olszewska

Rzymski

2020

JCM

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Dental fear and anxiety is a significant issue that affects pediatric patients and creates challenges in oral health management. Considering that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, along with its associated sanitary regime, social distancing measures and nationwide quarantines, could itself induce public fears, including in children, it is of great interest to explore whether this situation and the necessity of reorganizing dental care could potentially affect the emotional state of pediatric patients facing a need for urgent dental intervention. The present study assessed the emotional state of children ≤ seven years old (n = 25) requiring dental healthcare during a nationwide quarantine in Poland, as well as the anxiety levels of their caregivers. The Faces Anxiety Scale was adopted, and the evaluation was independently performed by the dentist, caregivers and children themselves. The level of anxiety in caregivers was also measured. As demonstrated, children requiring dental intervention during the nationwide quarantine did not reveal a significantly higher anxiety level as compared to the age- and indication-matched pre-pandemic control group (n = 20), regardless of whether their emotional state was evaluated by the dentist, caregivers, or by themselves. However, the share of children scoring the lowest anxiety level in all assessments was smaller in the pandemic group. Boys in the pandemic group had a higher anxiety level, as indicated by a caregiver assessment, and displayed a negative correlation with age in all three types of evaluation. Moreover, caregiver anxiety levels were higher in the pandemic group as compared to the pre-pandemic subset and revealed stronger correlations with the dental anxiety in children. The results suggest that the reorganization of oral healthcare under the pandemic scenario did not have a profound effect on children’s dental anxiety. Nevertheless, findings in young boys highlight that they may be more vulnerable and require special care to mitigate their anxiety and decrease the risk of dentophobia in the future—these observations must be, however, treated with caution due to the small sample size and require further confirmation. Moreover, it is important to reassure caregivers of the safety of the dental visit during the pandemic to minimize the effect of their own anxiety on dental fears in children.

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“…In addition, many studies had reported that maternal dental anxiety, socioeconomic status, and oral health behaviours were also associated with poorer child's OHRQoL (COHRQoL) [17,18,28,29]. On the other hand, child dental anxiety was associated with child's dental caries [30], and child's dental caries was associated with COHRQoL [22]. However, there's a lack of evidence with regards to the association between both maternal and child dental anxiety and the mother's perception of her COHRQoL, especially in the local population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of maternal and child dental anxiety on oral health-related quality of life of 5–6-year-old preschool children

Marhazlinda

Yusof

2020

Health Qual Life Outcomes

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Background There is a lack of evidence with regards to the association between both maternal and child dental anxiety and the mother’s perception of her child’s oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of maternal and child dental anxiety with COHRQoL and the effect of demographic factors as moderators in this relationship. In addition, the association between child’s dental caries experience and the COHRQoL was also assessed. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1150, 5–6 year-old preschool children in Selangor, Malaysia. Mothers answered a questionnaire on socio-economic status, the Malay-Modified Dental Anxiety Scale to assess maternal dental anxiety, and the Malay-Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale to assess COHRQoL. Child's dental anxiety was assessed using the Malay-Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale via a face-to-face interview prior to oral examination to assess dental caries. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling to assess the relationship between maternal and child dental anxiety and COHRQoL. Results Overall, complete data on 842 mother–child dyads were analysed. The mean scores of total ECOHIS, the child impacts section (CIS), and the family impacts section (FIS) were 17.7 (SD = 4.9), 12.6 (SD = 3.7), and 5.1 (SD = 1.9), respectively. The mean dental anxiety scores for mothers and children were 11.8 (SD = 4.5) and 16.9 (SD = 4.3), respectively. Maternal dental anxiety was associated with the CIS (b = 0.08, p < 0.001), the FIS (b = 0.01, p = 0.001), and the total ECOHIS (b = 0.14, p < 0.001). Maternal education level, income, urban/rural location, and kindergarten type were moderators to the relationship. In addition, there was also a significant relationship between child’s dental caries experience and COHRQoL (p < 0.001). Conclusions Maternal dental anxiety and child’s dental caries experience have significantly impacted the COHRQoL, the CIS, and the FIS domains. Demographic factors such as maternal education, income, urban/rural location, and kindergarten type acted as moderators that can strengthen or weaken the relationship between maternal dental anxiety and COHRQoL of 5–6-year-old preschool children.

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Factors Associated with Dental Fear and Anxiety in Children Aged 7 to 9 Years

Cited by 84 publications

References 27 publications

Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety among Russian Children of Different Ages: The Cross-Sectional Study

Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety among Russian Children of Different Ages: The Cross-Sectional Study

Children’s Dental Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Polish Experience

Impact of maternal and child dental anxiety on oral health-related quality of life of 5–6-year-old preschool children

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