Impact of invasiveness of dental treatment history on anxiety expression in recall patients.

Background: To analyse the association between the likelihood of expressing dental anxiety in children based on parental report and the invasiveness of dental treatment history along with the acceptance of the accompanying fluoride treatment.

Methods: A total of 70 healthy children (7.1±1.9 years, 27 female) who presented for a recall visit to the Specialised Pedodontics Department were included in this study. This questionnaire-based study involved parentel assessment of the frequency of the child's expression of dental anxiety at home (always/often/sometimes as frequent dental anxiety expression vs. rarely/never as no history of dental anxiety expression) using 5-point Likert-Scale. The invasive treatment history was based on the child's dental record including extraction, fillings, space maintainer, nitrous oxide sedation and general anaesthesia, while non-invasive therapies included dental prophylactic services and fissure sealant.

Results: According to the parents' report 29 (41.4%) of the 70 children expressed their dental anxiety at home. The majority (N.=27, 93%) of these 29 children had an invasive dental history (P=0.009, Chi-square Test), and showed to be anxious based on their previous dental records (P=0.003, Chi-square Test). Almost all children (18 out of 19 children, 95%) who complained on the taste after applying the fluoride varnish have had previous dental visits with an invasive treatment history (P=0.083, Chi-square Test).

Conclusions: The likelihood of expressing dental anxiety at home in recall children of a specialised dental practice is relatively high, which is clearly associated with history of invasive dental procedures. Dentists should keep in mind that there is a correlation of invasive treatment history and dental anxiety which affects also the children in the recall phase. Additionally, children with a history of non-invasive dental procedures (preventive measures) have an improved acceptance of the taste of fluoride varnish.