Dental fear and anxiety in older children: an association with parental dental anxiety and effective pain coping strategies

Figures & data

Table 1 Parents’ sociodemographic data

Variable	Mothers (N=114)	Fathers (N=109)
Age, years (M ± SD)	40.4±5.4	45.1±5.6
Education, N (%)
Primary	4 (4)	4 (4)
Secondary	96 (84)	92 (84)
Higher education	5 (4)	7 (6)
University	8 (7)	4 (4)
Employed, N (%)
Yes	64 (56)	82 (75)
No	50 (44)	22 (20)
Monthly income, N (%)
Below 1,000 USD	61 (54)	56 (51)
1,000–2,000 USD	46 (40)	47 (43)
Above 2,000 USD	7 (6)	5 (5)
Marital status
Married	112	109
Not married	1	0
Widowed	1	0

Abbreviations: M, mean; SD, standard deviation.

Table 2 Participants’ levels of dental anxiety, as measured with the CDAS

Anxiety score	Children, N (%)	Mothers, N (%)	Fathers, N (%)
Low anxiety (CDAS <9)	64 (56)	76 (56)	71 (65)
Moderate anxiety (CDAS 9–12)	29 (26)	28 (25)	22 (20)
High anxiety (CDAS 13–14)	13 (11)	6 (5)	7 (7)
Severe anxiety (CDAS 15–20)	8 (7)	4 (4)	9 (8)

Abbreviation: CDAS, Corah Dental Anxiety Scale.

Table 3 Percentage of children with different coping strategies and subjective reports of their efficacy, based on the DCQ

When I am in pain at the dentist	Yes (%)	When yes, does it help? (%)
		Not at all	A bit or very much
Destructive
I get angry at mom and dad	11.4	30.8	69.2
I think of a reason to sneak out	16.7	26.3	73.7
I close my mouth	21.9	20.0	80.0
I get angry at the dentist	21.1	29.2	70.8
External
I look at the mirror	76.3	13.8	86.2
I like it when the nurse holds my hand	49.1	10.7	89.3
I like it to have friends with me	50.0	19.3	80.7
I tell the dentist	83.3	11.6	88.4
I ask the dentist what he is doing	43.9	26.0	74.0
Internal
I think it is part of dentistry	89.5	36.3	63.7
I tell myself it will be over soon	91.2	10.6	89.4
I think of other things	71.9	8.5	91.5
I think it is my own fault I have cavities	66.7	22.4	77.6
I think it is good for my teeth	93.0	18.9	81.1
I do what the dentist tells me to	97.4	20.7	79.3

Abbreviation: DCQ, Dental Cope Questionnaire.