Maternal and child's anxiety--effect on child's behaviour at dental appointments and treatments

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of pre-existing dental anxiety and maternal anxiety on the behaviour of some Nigerian children during dental appointments. Two hundred and sixty children aged 2-15 years participated in this study. They were treated at the three government dental establishments in Ibadan, a city in South Western Nigeria, over a six-month period. The children's behaviour during different stages of treatment was determined by the Frankl's Behaviour Rating Scale. The outcome of the study revealed a high association between the level of pre-existing dental anxiety in the children and their behaviour during various phases of treatment (P<0.05). During initial stages of treatment, prophylaxis, administration of local anaesthesia and tooth extraction, children with high level of anxiety were less cooperative. In addition, a general tendency towards cooperative behaviour was observed among patients whose mothers had low anxiety levels. This study shows the importance of correct assessment of the pre-operative dental anxiety status in children as well as the level of anxiety in their mothers. The level of dental anxiety in children and their mothers appears to be predictive of their behaviour in the oral care setting. In circumstances where the level of pre-operative and maternal anxiety are high, efforts should first be geared toward instituting appropriate behaviour management skills like behaviour shaping and modelling to bring about a higher level of cooperation before embarking on treatment. By paying special attention to these children, it is possible that the dentist would succeed in improving acceptance of treatment in them thereby increasing cooperation at subsequent dental visits.