Children's dental anxiety in the United Kingdom in 2003

Abstract 

Background

The prevalence of dental anxiety among a representative sample of children in the UK was determined in the Children's Dental Health survey of 2003.

Aims

This paper is concerned with the extent to which children in the United Kingdom are judged by a parent or carer to be behaviourally affected by dental anxiety and the factors associated with this.

Method

The information was gathered by self-completion questionnaire distributed to the parents of half of the sample of children who were also clinically examined in the dental survey.

Results

Dental anxiety that was sufficient to disrupt dental attendance was reported for around 3–4% of the four age groups surveyed (5, 8, 12 and 15 years of age). Children's dental anxiety was associated with parental dental anxiety; a greater experience of invasive dental treatment and general anaesthetic; receipt of free school meals and social class.

Conclusions

Whilst these findings do not necessarily indicate causal relationships, they do confirm a number of co-factors associated with dental anxiety perhaps most importantly that of anxiety with the experience of general anaesthetic for tooth extractions.

Keywords: Dental anxiety, Children, Dental survey