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Do preschoolers with adverse birth outcomes have more distress during dental examination?

Ana Paula Mundim1, Patrícia Corrêa-Faria2, Luciane Rezende Costa3

  • 1Division of Hospital Dentistry, Hospital Geral de Palmas Dr. Francisco Ayres, Palmas, TO, 77015-206, Brazil.

European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry : Official Journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry
|April 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Children with low birth weight experienced more distress during dental exams. Neonatal complications like prematurity or NICU stays did not significantly impact dental visit behavior in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Neonatal Health
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Limited research exists on how neonatal complications affect children's behavior during dental examinations.
  • Understanding these associations is crucial for tailoring dental care to vulnerable populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between neonatal complications (prematurity, birth weight, NICU stay) and children's distress during dental exams.
  • To identify specific neonatal factors that may predict heightened anxiety or discomfort in pediatric dental settings.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective longitudinal study involving 42 children aged 5-6 years.
  • Distress was assessed using the FLACC Pain Assessment Tool (video observation) and self-reported pain (Faces Pain Scale-Revised).
  • Neonatal data were collected from medical records; bivariate analysis was employed.

Main Results:

  • Children with low birth weight showed a significantly higher frequency of distress during dental examinations (P=0.047).
  • A history of toothache was also strongly associated with increased dental examination distress (P=0.005).
  • No significant association was found between distress and prematurity or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization.

Conclusions:

  • Children with a history of low birth weight may be more susceptible to experiencing distress during routine dental procedures.
  • Healthcare professionals should be aware of this increased sensitivity to provide supportive dental care.
  • Further research could explore interventions to mitigate dental anxiety in this population.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child preschoolDental care for childrenInfant low birth weightIntensive care neonatalPain measurement

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