Correlation of the Children’s Dental Fear and Anxiety with Oral Health and Psychosocial Factors. Summary of the Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

The study is aimed at investigation of the children’s dental fear and anxiety, its causes and consequences. Nowadays, in spite of modern dental technologies (laser, ozone, ultrasound, sedation, Wand and general anaesthesia) a high level of dental fear, especially in children, still remains. Therefore, dental fear is a subject of broad and current interest in many paediatric dental conferences in search of both the causes thereof and connection with various factors leading to dental fear and ways for better coping with fear. Until now no such studies have been carried out in Latvia. The aim of this study was to investigate the children’s dental fear, its causes, associated factors, and effects of dental fear on oral health. The theoretical part of the study covered description of various internal and external causes leading to the dental fear, including child personality, parents’ dental fear, family stress, socio-economic factors. The theoretical part also showed external causes in regard to the children’s previous experience with dentists, doctors and oral health. The study showed relationship between dental fear and various psychosocial factors. Dental fear, to the great extent, can be explained by the child’s dental experience, especially pain and/or harsh attitude on part of the medical staff. However, the child’s personality factors such as general anxiety and the number of other non-dental fears, but especially attitudes towards doctors and dentists, and the child’s behaviour in the dentist’s office were particularly closely connected with the child’s dental fear. Very important was also the parents’ attitude towards the dentist (fear) and the way in which information on dental matters was transferred to the child, as well as the child’s medical experience, for instance, frequent doctor appointments and traumatic experience with doctors, excluding dentists. Slightly less dental fear was explained by the family socio-economic/demographic factors, for example, the higher number of children, family members and household members was linked with the lower level of dental fear. To a small extent, the child’s dental fear was associated with altered oral care habits, for example, children are reluctant to tooth brushing. Family stress factors were not related to the children’s dental fear. However, one of the most significant finding was the relationship between the children’s dental fear and the number of decayed teeth in all types of bites, as well as late first appointment (examination). This shows that dental fear is closely associated with poorer oral health because it discourages children and their parents to make dentist appointment in time. Professional advice on dental health issues would allow improvement of dental health and reduction of the children’s dental fear levels.