Prevalence of dental anxiety in children and adolescents globally: A systematic review with meta‐analyses

• Published in: International journal of paediatric dentistry Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 168 - 183
• Main Authors: Grisolia, Barbara Monteiro, dos Santos, Ana Paula Pires, Dhyppolito, Izabel Monteiro, Buchanan, Heather, Hill, Kirsty, Oliveira, Branca Heloisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Anxiety; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; dental anxiety; Dental Anxiety - epidemiology; Dental Caries; Female; Humans; preschool; Preschool children; Prevalence; Quality of Life; Systematic review; Teenagers; prevalence; adolescent; preschool; dental anxiety; child
• ISSN: 0960-7439; 1365-263X
• DOI: 10.1111/ipd.12712

Background
Dental anxiety (DA) negatively impacts oral health–related quality of life, and patients with DA usually require more dental treatment time.
Aim
To describe the global prevalence of DA in children and adolescents and to examine the influence of individual factors (age, sex, and caries experience) and variables related to DA measurement on pooled prevalence.
Design
Systematic review with meta‐analyses of observational studies published between 1985 and 2020 (PROSPERO CRD42014013879).
Results
Searches yielded 1207 unique records; 224 full‐text articles were screened, and 50 studies were used in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. No study was considered as having high methodological quality according to ‘The Joanna Briggs Institute assessment tool’. Overall pooled DA prevalence was 23.9% (95% CI 20.4, 27.3). Pooled prevalence in preschoolers, schoolchildren, and adolescents was as follows: 36.5% (95% CI 23.8, 49.2), 25.8% (95% CI 19.5, 32.1), and 13.3% (95% CI 9.5, 17.0), respectively. DA was significantly more prevalent in preschool children (one study) and schoolchildren (two studies) with caries experience and in female adolescents (one study). The scale used for DA assessment was shown to influence pooled prevalence in preschoolers and adolescents.
Conclusion
DA is a frequent problem in 3‐ to 18‐year‐olds worldwide, more prevalent in schoolchildren and preschool children than in adolescents.