Evaluation of dental anxiety in elementary school children correlated with parental dental anxiety

Abstract

Background: Dental anxiety may manifest on different levels, as fear or dental phobias. Patients that have never had negative experiences in the dental office can develop dental fear or phobia, as a result of hearing about negative experiences from family, friends or the media [8]. Study Questions: Is parental dental anxiety correlated with child dental anxiety? Study Design: The present study aims to assess the correlation between the anxiety of children and their parents. Our investigation explores the possible existence of more motives linked to dental anxiety, especially when a child hears of bad experiences from family and friends. Measures and Outcomes: 100 children, patients of the University Clinic of Pedodontics in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and their parents, participated in the survey. They filled in an anxiety questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed. Results: The most frequent explanation for dental anxiety in both parents and children is hearing about bad experiences from a relative rather than from personal negative experiences. Values for the coefficient of determination (r2) were approximately 0.5, indicating that half of the child’s anxiety can be explained by the parental anxiety score alone. Conclusions: It is important to approach the dental anxiety in parents in order to obtain better children compliance for dental treatments.