Relationship of Blood Group with Level of Cooperation of Pediatric Dental Patients

Abstract

Acquaintance with the behavior of children in dental office setting is highly important in treatment success. People with different blood groups often have different behaviors. Thus, the blood group may aid in prediction of behavior of pediatric dental patients. This study is aimed at assessing the relationship of the blood group with level of cooperation of pediatric dental patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 130 children between 4 and 6 years of age. The blood group of children was recorded according to their identification card or by collecting an intraoral blood sample during pulpotomy and using the respective kit. To assess the level of cooperation of children, their behavior was videotaped during the procedure, and the videos were assessed by two pedodontists. The behavior of children was scored according to the Venham scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS 26 and Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, and Mann–Whitney $U$ test. The blood group was A in 35.7%, B in 5.8%, AB in 3.2%, and O in 53.5%. Children with blood group O had maximum cooperation (52.6) while those with blood group B had minimum cooperation. Pairwise comparisons of the groups regarding the Venham scale revealed significant differences between blood groups A and B ( $P=0.0001$ ) and also B and O ( $P=0.005$ ). Pairwise comparisons of the groups regarding the level of cooperation also revealed significant differences between blood groups A and B ( $P=0.0001$ ) and B and O ( $P=0.019$ ). Blood group B may be correlated with certain behavioral traits such as dental fear and anxiety and the resultant poor cooperation.