Role of Colors in Pediatric Dental Practices

This study evaluated the association between colors and emotions in a pediatric dental population.

In this randomized cross-sectional study, 100 children aged 6-12 years were categorized as non-anxious and anxious using Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale-Revised. They were then instructed to color two cartoon faces, one depicting happiness emotion and the other, sadness, with any of six colors provided. Data obtained were statistically analyzed.

The mean Corah's Dental Anxiety scores were 11.7 and 4.97 for the anxious and non-anxious children, respectively. Both groups expressed the highest preference for the color yellow for happiness emotion. No significant differences were observed between color choices in either group (p>0.05), except for black which was not chosen by any child for happiness (p<0.005). Children in both groups significantly preferred red for sadness emotion. No significant differences were observed between color choices in the anxious group (p>0.05). In the non-anxious group, yellow assumed significant preference over green (p<0.05).

Yellow was the most-preferred color and black, the least-preferred, for happiness emotion, whereas, for sadness emotion, red and green were the most- and least-preferred colors, respectively. Color preference was not affected by the presence of dental anxiety.