Treatment experience, frequency of dental visits, and children’s dental fear: a cognitive approach

Abstract

Cognitive elements play a key role in dental anxiety. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about how dental treatments and frequency of visits to the dentist are related to dental fear and its cognitive antecedents. This study aimed to explore the relationships between dental visits, past treatment experiences, expectations on the aversiveness/probability of negative dental events, and dental fear in children. The participants were 147 children (60% female; mean age = 12.0 yr) who completed a questionnaire comprising measures of dental treatment-related experience (attendance, fillings, and extractions), perceived aversiveness and probability of dental events, and dental anxiety. Bivariate correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. A higher frequency of dental visits was associated with less dental fear and a decreased belief in the probability of negative events occurring during treatment. The type of treatments received was not directly linked to dental fear. However, having received fillings was significantly associated with the perceived probability of negative dental events, whereas extractions were positively associated with these expectations but negatively associated with the perceived aversiveness of possible dental events. Regular dental visits, as well as dental treatments, can influence, in different ways, cognitive elements associated with dental anxiety in children.

Dental anxiety in schoolchildren with molar incisor hypomineralization—A population‐based cross‐sectional study

“…DA is believed to be associated with situations in which there was an experience of pain or the needing of more invasive treatment, such as an extraction. The fact that dental care resolves this symptom does not lead to higher levels of DA . reported that children who have only undergone restorations in their lives are less anxious, while those who have been submitted to extractions tend to react with higher levels of DA during subsequent treatment sessions.…”

Dental Caries Is Associated with Dental Fear in Childhood: Findings from a Birth Cohort Study

“…Even though there is no clear evidence in relation to the effectiveness of dental fillings for the treatment of caries in the primary dentition [Yengopal et al, 2009;Marshman et al, 2012], we could speculate that restoration may reduce the occurrence of dental pain. Nevertheless, having received dental fillings was associated with the perceived probability of negative dental events and as a consequence could increase dental fear levels [Carrillo-Díaz et al, 2012]. Indeed the prevention of caries occurrence would be more effective to reduce dental fear levels, since the strong association found in the present study was between caries and dental fear.…”

The moderating role of dental expectancies on the relationship between cognitive vulnerability and dental fear in children and adolescents

“…Moreover, dental fear represents a barrier for accessing dental services and treatments, which may lead to a worsening of one's oral status. Indeed, those children with higher levels of dental fear appear to visit the dentist less frequently and miss appointments . Furthermore, dental fear in children and adolescents is a widespread problem, with an estimated prevalence of between 5.7% and 19.5% .…”