The relationship between dental anxiety in children, adolescents and their parents at dental environment

• Published in: Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 175 - 179
• Main Authors: Assunção, Cristiane, Losso, Estela, Andreatini, Roberto, de Menezes, José Vitor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chandigarh Medknow Publications 01-07-2013; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Age; Analysis; Anxiety; Behavior; Children; dental anxiety; Dental care; Dentistry; Families & family life; parents; Pediatrics; Questionnaires; Socioeconomic factors; Studies; Teenagers; Brazil; dental anxiety; Children; parents
• ISSN: 0970-4388; 1998-3905
• DOI: 10.4103/0970-4388.117977

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare trait anxiety and dental anxiety among children, adolescents and their parents. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 100 patients from the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of the Federal University of Parana (Brazil) between the ages of 8 and 17 years (mean age: 10.3; standard deviation: 2.03) and their parents, who responded to Corah′s Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Trait Anxiety Scale. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test, analysis of variance and both Pearson′s and Spearman′s correlation coefficients. Results: Ninety percent of children and adolescents and 76% of the parents had moderate anxiety based on the DAS score. Seventy-four percent of children and adolescents and 72% of the parents had moderate anxiety based on the Trait Anxiety Scale score. The trait anxiety and dental anxiety scores were correlated among the adults (rs = 0.64) and children (r = 0.52), whereas no correlation between scores was found among the adolescents. Associations were also found between children′s trait anxiety and the dental and trait anxiety of their parents (both r = 0.43). Conclusions: A moderate degree of dental anxiety was prevalent among the children, adolescents and parents who took part in this investigation, with correlations demonstrated between some trait anxiety and dental anxiety scores.