Evaluation of Children's Drawings as a Measure of Dental Anxiety Before and After Oral Health Education.

BACKGROUND

Drawing is an effective tool for evaluating dental anxiety and communicating with children.

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate children's drawings as a measure of dental anxiety with two different assessment methods and their possible relationship with age, gender, and previous dental visits before and after education.

METHODS

A total of 129 children aged 4-6 years old were requested to draw a picture of the dentist and dental office perception before and after a 20-minute dental education at selected Kindergartens. Drawings were evaluated according to Child Drawing: Hospital (CD: H) and Massoni methodologies.

RESULTS

The difference in drawing groups between before and after oral health education was found to be statistically significant which meant children had less anxiety after education (P = 0.001). A statistical difference was observed in the scores before and after the education in the group of children who had previous dental visits and those who did not (P = 0.001). Statistically significant differences were observed in both groups of children who had previous dental visits and those who did not (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Oral health education at younger ages is effective in overcoming dental anxiety and improving the positivity of dental perception. Drawing is a suitable assessment tool for learning about the child's notions and feelings.