[Anxiety and stress in dental practice. 2. Results of studies in children]

The stressor effects of various dental procedures were studied in 85 children. In the group of children undergoing extractions, the highest average values for pulse rate and blood pressure were observed right before anaesthesia. Stress reactions occurring in filling therapy were, on an average, almost as frequent and as severe than those due to extractions. "Anxious" children responded to dental procedures more frequently with increased 11-OHCS excretion in the urine than "indifferent" children, but there was no significant difference in adrenocortical activity.