The effect of sequential dental visits on dental anxiety levels of paediatric patients

Abstract

AIM: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between sequential visits in dental caries treatments and dental anxiety levels of paediatric patients through the use of anxiety scales and physiological measurements. METHODS: A total of 224 children aged 5–8 years who needed at least two bilateral restorative dental caries treatments of the mandibular first primary molar was included in the study. The treatment duration was approximately 20 minutes and time span between the two appointments was a maximum of two weeks. The Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS) and The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) were used for subjective measurements and the objective measurement of dental anxiety was performed by measuring the heart rate using a portable pulse oximeter. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22 (IBM corp. Armonk, NY, USA). CONCLUSION: The results of this study show a significant reduction in dental anxiety after sequental dental visits in children aged 5–8 years, which highlights the importance of the sequental visits in paediatric dentistry.