[Dental fear in children--frequency, diagnosis and treatment]

A recent study on acceptance of dental treatment among Swedish children (11) showed that the frequency of dental fear was 3% in 4-16 year-olds. Eight percent of the children sometimes reacted in such a way that treatment could not be carried out without restraint or excessive delay. More than every other 3-year-old child resisted in some way. Positive behavior and cooperation improved with increasing age, the improvement being most pronounced among the youngest children. It was also shown that negative or no acceptance increased by each new appointment in preschool children with a large amount of treatment need. Behavior shaping is a combination of tell-show-do and positive reinforcement. It includes the following parts: Tell-show-do. Positive reinforcement. Observation of the reactions of the child. Rating the acceptance of the child. If positive: positive reinforcement and introduction of a new step. If not positive: further training on the specific step. Repetition of these parts according to a hierarchy of treatment steps from the easiest to the most difficult to accept. The child's behavior is observed and rated according to the categories of behavior as in Table 1. The treatment aims at building up the child's confidence and to attain positive acceptance of dental treatment. The child's behavior is governed by its experience, and by the way it is met in the specific situation. First, inform the child and the parent about the procedures. Try to establish a good relationship with the child and parent. Observe and be sensitive to all signals from the child and parent, especially the non-verbal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)