Evaluation of Children's and Parents' Dental Anxiety

Objective: To evaluate comparatively children's anxiety before dental treatment using the Modified Venham's Picture Test (MVPT) and of their parents/caregivers' anxiety using the Corah scale. The children's behavior in a dental clinic (Frankl scale) was evaluated, as well as how they behaved with and without application of local anesthesia, employing the Frankl scale. Method: Fifty children of both genders belonging to two age groups (Group 1:4 to 6 years old and Group 2:7 to 9 years old) and their parents/caregivers were evaluated at the Pediatric Dental Clinic of the Regional University of Blumenau (FURB), Brazil, in the first and second semesters of 2010. Results: The anxiety-free children prevailed (47.83% in Group 1 and 55.56% in Group 2). The Frankl scale showed that most of the children behaved in an openly positive way (73.91% in Group 1 and 66.67% in Group 2). Children's behavior was more positive when no local anesthesia was used (73.91% in Group 1 and 85.19% in Group 2). It was also observed that 43.4% of the parents/caregivers of children in Group 1 and 66.67% of those in Group 2 presented "low" anxiety. No relation was found between the parents' and the children's anxiety. Conclusion: Most children did not present dental anxiety in both age groups. Children's behavior during the dental treatment was mostly openly positive, according to the Frankl scale. It could be noticed that the children had a more positive behavior when anesthesia was not performed. It was also observed that the majority parents/caregivers presented "low" anxiety. No correlation was found between the parents/caregivers' and the children's dental anxiety.