Bezabih Selamawit, Fantaye Wondwossen, Tesfaye Markos
School of Dentistry, Jimma University.
Ethiop Med J. 2013 Apr;51(2):115-21.
Dental fear in children has been recognized as an important condition in patient management for many years. Its effects have been shown to persist into adulthood which can lead to dental avoidance.
The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude and factors associated with dental fear among pediatric age group dental clinic attendees at Jimma University Specialized Hospital.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 children who visited the dental clinic. Consecutive children who came to the dental clinic participated in the study. Dental anxiety was measured using Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS). Data was collected by directly interviewing the children and their parents. Chi-square statistics were used to explore for level of significance of associations between the variables.
The mean age of the study population was 10.45 years (SD = 3.19). The rate of dental anxiety in the children was found to be 74.1% ranging from moderate to severe anxiety. More than a third of the participants (36.6%) had moderate level of anxiety; 17% of them had high level of anxiety and 20.5% of them had severe anxiety. Sex of the child was not significantly associated with dental anxiety whereas age of the child was found to be significantly associated (P = 0.029). Having previous experience of dental procedure in general was not associated with the level of anxiety, however, having painful previous experience was found to be associated with higher anxiety level. Also, there was significant association is found between anxiety levels of parents and children (P < 0.001). Moreover, children with dental anxiety were found to have avoidance of dental treatment.
The huge burden of dental anxiety and dental fear as well as its consequent dental avoidance found in this study calls for further study. Dentists should be aware of the pervasiveness of the problem and be ready to address the issue in routine clinical care.
多年来，儿童牙科恐惧一直被视为患者管理中的一个重要问题。研究表明，其影响会持续到成年，可能导致回避看牙。
本研究旨在评估吉姆马大学专科医院儿科牙科门诊患者中牙科恐惧的程度及其相关因素。
对240名到牙科诊所就诊的儿童进行了一项横断面研究。连续到牙科诊所就诊的儿童参与了该研究。使用科拉牙科焦虑量表（CDAS）和牙科恐惧调查问卷（DFS）测量牙科焦虑。通过直接访谈儿童及其父母收集数据。使用卡方统计来探讨变量之间关联的显著程度。
研究人群的平均年龄为10.45岁（标准差 = 3.19）。发现儿童牙科焦虑率为74.1%，范围从中度到重度焦虑。超过三分之一的参与者（36.6%）有中度焦虑；其中17%有高度焦虑，20.5%有重度焦虑。儿童的性别与牙科焦虑无显著关联，而儿童年龄与牙科焦虑显著相关（P = 0.029）。一般而言，既往有牙科治疗经历与焦虑程度无关，然而，既往有疼痛经历与较高的焦虑水平相关。此外，父母和孩子的焦虑水平之间存在显著关联（P < 0.001）。而且，发现有牙科焦虑的儿童会回避牙科治疗。
本研究中发现的牙科焦虑和牙科恐惧的巨大负担及其导致的牙科回避问题需要进一步研究。牙医应意识到该问题的普遍性，并准备好在日常临床护理中解决这一问题。
