Anxiety in the child dental clinic.

A study was made of differences between children who had a history of refusing dental treatment in the community and control children, as rated by their parents. History of treatment refusal was found to be associated with a general fear of 'medical' people, intolerance for any pain or discomfort and greater difficulty in approaching novelty or adapting to change. These children were also rated by their parents as being generally more negative in their mood and having greater difficulty in playing with unfamiliar children. The implications of these findings are discussed.