OBJECTIVE: Recently, cognitive approaches have been successfully applied to the understanding of child dental anxiety. Our study aimed to analyze the interplay between cognitive variables and their associations with dental fear. In particular, we proposed that the observed relationship between dental treatment-related cognitive vulnerability (i.e., uncontrollability, unpredictability, dangerousness, and disgustingness appraisals) and dental fear is moderated by the expectancies of the probability and aversiveness of negative events during dental treatments. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted with data obtained from 179 participants (8-18 years, 55.9% female) who attended 12 randomly selected educational establishments in Madrid (Spain). RESULTS: Dental fear was associated with an irregular pattern of dental visits. As expected, cognitive vulnerability was strongly linked to dental anxiety. For those children who expected a lower likelihood of negative dental events or appraised them in a less aversive way, the relationship between cognitive vulnerability and fear was attenuated. CONCLUSIONS: As dental fear and oral health are connected, the prevention and reduction of dental fear among children and adolescents might be a worthwhile target for public health interventions. Our study sheds some light on how this could be achieved, that is, by modifying the children's vulnerability appraisals as well as their fearful dental expectancies.
OBJECTIVE: Recently, cognitive approaches have been successfully applied to the understanding of child dental anxiety. Our study aimed to analyze the interplay between cognitive variables and their associations with dental fear. In particular, we proposed that the observed relationship between dental treatment-related cognitive vulnerability (i.e., uncontrollability, unpredictability, dangerousness, and disgustingness appraisals) and dental fear is moderated by the expectancies of the probability and aversiveness of negative events during dental treatments. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted with data obtained from 179 participants (8-18 years, 55.9% female) who attended 12 randomly selected educational establishments in Madrid (Spain). RESULTS: Dental fear was associated with an irregular pattern of dental visits. As expected, cognitive vulnerability was strongly linked to dental anxiety. For those children who expected a lower likelihood of negative dental events or appraised them in a less aversive way, the relationship between cognitive vulnerability and fear was attenuated. CONCLUSIONS: As dental fear and oral health are connected, the prevention and reduction of dental fear among children and adolescents might be a worthwhile target for public health interventions. Our study sheds some light on how this could be achieved, that is, by modifying the children's vulnerability appraisals as well as their fearful dental expectancies.
Authors: Ava Elizabeth Carter; Geoff Carter; Mark Boschen; Emad AlShwaimi; Roy George Journal: World J Clin Cases Date: 2014-11-16 Impact factor: 1.337
Authors: Abdullah F Alshuaibi; Mohammed Aldarwish; Anwar N Almulhim; Gauri S Lele; Suresh Sanikommu; Ravi G Raghunath Journal: Int J Clin Pediatr Dent Date: 2021 Mar-Apr