Objectives: Dental anxiety among children is a familiar problem. The study (cross sectional) was conducted to evaluate dental anxiety precedes the first dental examination in relation to dental caries experience according to nutritional status of children and to measure salivary alkaline phosphatase in relation to dental anxiety. Material and Methods: A total of 82 children aged six to eight years old, selected from public clinics in Baghdad city were divided into two groups: anxious and non-anxious group according physiological measures (heart rate and oxygen saturation) before first dental treatment. Weight and height for each child were measured to determine the nutritional status (normal weight, overweight and obese). Dental caries (experience and severity) in children with different nutritional status were recorded by using DMF, dmf and Manjie et al indices. Saliva was collected to analyze salivary alkaline phosphatase. Results: No statistical significant differences were observed between anxious and non-anxious children in means of dmf and DMF indices for primary and permanent teeth (p>0.05). Higher mean of D1 (initial enamel caries) was found in non-anxious children than anxious with statistical significant difference (P<0.05) in normal weight children only. Salivary alkaline phosphatase was not significantly different between the two groups.
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