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Children’s dental anxiety (self and proxy reported) and its association with dental behaviour in a postgraduate dental hospital

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A Correction to this article was published on 09 May 2020

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Abstract

Purpose

Child dental anxiety (CDA) and uncooperative dental behaviour are common. We aimed to assess the prevalence of CDA (self- and proxy- reported) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) children related to their dental behaviour.

Methods

Data were collected from 312 questionnaires obtained from 156 parent/child (mean age 9.95 ± 2.17 years) pairs attending a postgraduate dental hospital. Demographics, self/proxy- reported CDA scores via a six-question, five-point Likert scale, of the Modified CDA Scale-faces version (MCDAS-f: where ≥ 19 was severe CDA) and Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale (FBRS) scores were compared and analysed. Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation, Kappa- coefficient, one-way ANOVA and independent t test statistical analysis were used (p < 0.05).

Results

The prevalence of self and proxy severe CDA was 22.4% (n = 35) and 33.3% (n = 52) respectively, with 9% (n = 14) being dentally- uncooperative. In both groups, extractions caused the highest CDA followed by injections and fillings (p < 0.001). The mean scores for self-reported/proxy-reported CDA were 15.02 (± 4.90)/15.70 (± 6.07) respectively. There was a positive linear correlation between self- and proxy- reported CDA scores and a negative linear correlation between self/proxy- reported CDA scores and the FBRS (p < 0.001). Self/proxy concordance of severe anxiety/none-to-moderate- anxiety was fair (68.6%, kappa = 0.23, p = 0.003). Both self/FBRS and proxy/FBRS concordance of severe anxiety/none-to-moderate- anxiety/behaviour was fair (78.8%, kappa = 0.23, p = 0.001) and (71.8%, kappa = 0.22, p < 0.001) respectively.

Conclusions

Considering the limitations of the present study in a UAE child population sample, the prevalence of CDA from extractions, injections and fillings was 22.4% (self- reported) and 33% (proxy reported). There was fair agreement between child- self and parent- proxy- reported CDA. Increased CDA led to uncooperative dental behaviour.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the children and cares who took part in this project. We applied the “First-Last-Author Emphasis” (FLAE) norm for the sequence and credit of authors for this paper.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatric Dentistry, Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE

    S. AlGharebi, M. Al-Halabi, M. Kowash & I. Hussein

  2. Biostatistics, Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE

    A. H. Khamis

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  1. S. AlGharebi
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  2. M. Al-Halabi
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  3. M. Kowash
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  4. A. H. Khamis
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  5. I. Hussein
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Correspondence to I. Hussein.

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In the Original version of this article the Author’s name M. Kowash was misspelled as K. Mawlood. The name has now been corrected in the article.

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AlGharebi, S., Al-Halabi, M., Kowash, M. et al. Children’s dental anxiety (self and proxy reported) and its association with dental behaviour in a postgraduate dental hospital. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 22, 29–40 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-020-00517-x

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