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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2020; 14(04): 621-625
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1714035
Original Article

Prevalence of Dental Fear and Anxiety among Russian Children of Different Ages: The Cross-Sectional Study

Maria Sarapultseva 
1   Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Medical Firm Vital EVV, Ekaterinburg, Russia
2   Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
,
Maria Yarushina
1   Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Medical Firm Vital EVV, Ekaterinburg, Russia
2   Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
,
Igor Kritsky
2   Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
,
Roman Ibragimov
2   Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
,
Alexey Sarapultsev 
2   Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
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Abstract

Objective Children’s dental fear may lead to an avoidance of seeking dental care or disruptive behavior during treatment. The study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence and scores of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) among Russian children of different ages with an experience of dental treatment.

Materials and Methods The cross-sectional study included 371 children aged 2 to 17 years. Study participants were divided into three groups according to their age: 112 “preschool children” aged 2 to 5 years, 137 “school children” aged 6 to 11 years, and 122 “adolescents” aged 12 to 18 years. The questionnaires were distributed at reception areas of the dental clinic to parents of children aged 2 to 5 years and to the older children themselves.

Statistical Analysis Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 15.0. The parametric tests were used (one-way ANOVA, Student’s t-test, and Pearson’s correlation) because of the expected sample of more than 100 observations. The chi-square test was used for categorical variables.

Results The data have shown that 93.8% of the Russian child population visiting dental offices suffer mostly from moderate (11.85) levels of DFA. DFA was more often revealed in girls and among the youngest children aged 2 to 5 years.

Conclusions According to the obtained results, children were more afraid of “tooth drilling” and an “injection of local anesthetic” than other factors mentioned in the questionnaires. Fear of dental treatment is common among Russian children, and the factors associated with it differ with the gender and age of the child.

Keywrds

anxiety - children - dental fear - DFA - prevalence


Publication History

Article published online:
01 July 2020

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