Dental Anxiety in Children: The Obstacle to Successful Dental Treatment

Abstract

Dental anxiety is defined as intense anxiety about any dental procedure without an obvious source. Dental anxiety in children is closely related to the fear of the unknown and the lack of opportunity to control the treatment. Dental anxiety, which can cause physiological and psychological problems for the physician as well as the child, causes oral and dental health problems by preventing children from coming to their appointments and applying the treatment steps in an ideal way. The prevalence of anxiety was found to be between 5% and 20.6% in studies conducted with children in different age groups who underwent different dental treatments in various countries. The way children show their dental concerns may vary according to age groups. In children with dental anxiety, increased heart rate, changes in breathing, sweating, abdominal pain, tremor, nausea, dry mouth, crying, restlessness, and distraction are frequently observed during dental treatment. In order to progress and complete the steps of dental treatment, anxiety can be managed non-pharmacologically with pharmacological methods such as sedation and general anesthesia, aromatherapy, music therapy, visual and auditory distraction and hypnosis by watching videos during treatment. © 2024, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.