Kalra Namita, Sabherwal Puja, Tyagi Rishi, Khatri Amit, Srivastava Shruti
Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
Department of Psychiatry, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India.
J Dent Anesth Pain Med. 2021 Apr;21(2):119-128. doi: 10.17245/jdapm.2021.21.2.119. Epub 2021 Mar 31.
This study assessed anticipatory dental anxiety levels among 8- to 12-year-old children based on subjective and physiological measures and their correlation. The variations in anxiety based on sex, age, temperament, and academic performance were evaluated.
An observational study was conducted in 60 children recruited from the waiting room over a 6-month period. The operator recorded subjective anxiety in the children using a novel visual facial anxiety scale. The operator also noted the demographic details and child's temperament using the nine dimensions of the Thomas and Chess criteria, and graded children as "easy," "slow to warm-up," and "difficult." The academic performance of the children was graded (parental ratings) on a five-point Likert scale. Physiological variables (heartrate [HR], oxygen saturation[SpO], and blood pressure [BP]) were recorded by another evaluator. The correlation between anxiety levels and physiological variables was also assessed. The effects of age, sex, temperament, and academic performance on anxiety were evaluated.
The study included 60 children aged 8-12 years, including 36 boys and 24 girls. Seventy percent of children had mild to moderate levels of pre-extraction anxiety, while 30% of children demonstrated high anxiety. A significant positive correlation was noted between anxiety levels and HR (r = 0.477, P < 0.001) and systolic BP (r = 0.294, P < 0.05), while a significant but inverse correlation was observed with SpO (r = -0.40, P < 0.05). Anxiety did not influence diastolic BP. Children with difficult temperament and poor academic performance had significantly higher anxiety.
A high percentage (70%) of children aged 8-12 years had mild to moderate anxiety prior to the extraction procedure. Increased HR, systolic BP, and reduced SpO were significantly associated with high levels of anticipatory dental anxiety. Pre-extraction anxiety was significantly related to the temperament and scholastic performance.
本研究基于主观和生理指标及其相关性，评估了8至12岁儿童的预期性牙科焦虑水平。评估了基于性别、年龄、气质和学业成绩的焦虑差异。
在6个月的时间里，对从候诊室招募的60名儿童进行了一项观察性研究。操作人员使用一种新颖的视觉面部焦虑量表记录儿童的主观焦虑。操作人员还使用托马斯和切斯标准的九个维度记录了人口统计学细节和儿童的气质，并将儿童分为“容易相处型”、“慢热型”和“困难型”。儿童的学业成绩采用五点李克特量表进行评分（家长评分）。另一名评估人员记录生理变量（心率[HR]、血氧饱和度[SpO]和血压[BP]）。还评估了焦虑水平与生理变量之间的相关性。评估了年龄、性别、气质和学业成绩对焦虑的影响。
该研究纳入了60名8至12岁的儿童，其中包括36名男孩和24名女孩。70%的儿童术前焦虑程度为轻度至中度，而30%的儿童表现出高度焦虑。焦虑水平与心率（r = 0.477，P < 0.001）和收缩压（r = 0.294，P < 0.05）之间存在显著正相关，而与血氧饱和度（r = -0.40，P < 0.05）存在显著负相关。焦虑对舒张压没有影响。气质困难和学业成绩差的儿童焦虑程度明显更高。
8至12岁的儿童中有很高比例（70%）在拔牙术前存在轻度至中度焦虑。心率加快、收缩压升高和血氧饱和度降低与高度的预期性牙科焦虑显著相关。拔牙术前焦虑与气质和学业表现显著相关。
