Ansiedade odontológica autorrelatada pelas crianças atendidas na Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais: fatores associados e correlação com o medo dos pais

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the presence of dental anxiety in children who receive dental care in the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of the School of Dentistry at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (FAO-UFMG) and their correlation with their parents’/guardians’ dental fears. This study also seeks to evaluate the association between these children’s dental anxiety with the type of necessary dental treatment, the time needed for treatment at FAO-UFMG, and their behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional convenience study was conducted with 65 children of 4 to 11 years of age who received dental care in the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of the FAO-UFMG and their parents/guardians. The questionnaires “Modified Venham Picture Test” and “Dental Fear Survey” were used to measure the self-reported dental anxiety and fear concerning the dental treatment of the children and their parents, respectively. The type of dental treatment, length of treatment (FAO-UFMG), and the child’s behavior (Frankl scale) were obtained from the clinical record. Gender and age (child), gender, kinship, and education level (responsible) were obtained through a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Spearman correlation and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: There was no significant correlation between children’s anxiety and the fear of parents/caregivers (r = -0.029; p = 0.820). Dental anxiety was higher in children undergoing extraction (mean = 3.17; SD = 2.639) than in children undergoing restorative/endodontic procedures (mean = 0.96; SD = 2.021; p = 0.013) or without treatment (mean = 0.30; SD = 0.483; p = 0.032). Children who had been undergoing treatment for 4-21 months presented higher anxiety when compared to children who had been undergoing treatment for more than 21 months (p = 0.045). No significant association was observed between dental anxiety and the child’s behavior (p = 0.221). Conclusion: Children’s dental anxiety was not associated with their parents’/guardians’ dental fear. However, the need for more complex procedures and the time the child had been undergoing treatment at the clinic were associated with the presence of dental anxiety.