The Relationship of Dental Anxiety, Behaviour, Temperament and Dental Caries in Children

Abstract

The first dental examination is a major step that is affected by many factors and determines the dental treatment process. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the association of child temperament with child dental anxiety, parental dental anxiety, dental behaviour and dental caries. The study consisted of 100 children aged 3 to 6 who were attending their first dental examination and their accompanying parents. The Facial Image Scale (FIS), Frankl’s Behaviour Scale (FBS), Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and the Short Temperament Scale for Children (STSC) were used for assessment. The DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) score of each child was recorded. Children who exhibited negative behaviour on the FBS had the highest rhythmicity scores (p = 0.008). The mean DMFT score of children in the rhythmicity temperamental dimension was relatively high (p = 0.008). The parents of children defined as negative on the FBS had high dental anxiety levels on CDAS (p < 0.001). Children whose parents had higher dental anxiety levels showed higher dental anxiety (p = 0.007). The success rate of dental treatment procedures may be increased by improving dentists’ knowledge of dental anxiety related to the child’s temperament and integrating parental support to reduce dental anxiety.