Anxiety in children submitted to dental appointment

Abstract

Objective: To determine anxiety in children undergoing dental treatment and to evaluate associated factors. Material and Methods: The sample consisted of 48 children during dental appointment in dental clinics of the Franciscano University Center, 48 caregivers, and 46 dentistry students. The modified Venham Picture Test was used to determine anxiety of children during dental appointment, before and after treatment. For determining anxiety related to dental care among caregivers, the modified Corah’s dental anxiety scale was used. The Lipp’s stress symptoms inventory for adults was applied to determine the stress level of dentistry students. In addition, the individual characteristics of participants were recorded to determine their association with the presence of anxiety. Results: Anxiety was observed in 60.4% of children, and it was related to invasive dental procedures (p = 0.021), history of dental pain (p = 0.002), presence of bruxism (p = 0.028), anxious caregivers (p = 0.023), and stress of the dental student that conducted the appointment (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Overall, the majority of pediatric patients showed anxiety, which was directly related to misbehavior during dental care. Moreover, anxiety was related to individual characteristics of children and was influenced by the anxiety level of caregivers, as well as the emotional state of dentistry students during the dental appointment.