[Dental fear in children: dental experiences during childhood]

This study aimed to examine the relative importance of invasive treatment experiences in the acquisition of dental fear in children. For this purpose, the complete dental history of 401 children (5-10 years) from 2 dental practices was studied. The level of dental fear in these children was assessed using the Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS). Differences in treatment variables between high fearful and low fearful children were analysed, and regression analysis was performed to determine significant predictors of dental fear. A significant though weak relation of dental fear with the number of experienced extractions was found, while no relation with the number of experienced fillings was found. The results indicate that within the (direct) conditioning pathway, objective dental procedures seem to play a minor role in children's fear acquisition. Clinical support for the 'latent inhibition' theory was provided: a history of neutral or positive dental visits seems to serve as a defence against the development of dental fear in children.