Influence of temperament on children’s cooperation during dental treatment

Abstract

Background: The etiologies of childhood dental fear/dental behavior management problems have been extensively studied, especially the role of children’s temperaments. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of temperament and its associated variables on the anxiety and cooperation level of preschool children in a dental clinic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 103, 4–6-year-old patients (39 boys and 64 girls). The children’s parents or guardians completed the Child Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS) Dental Subscale and the Malhotra temperament questionnaire before the treatment. Patients’ anxiety and cooperation levels were then assessed through three distinct treatment stages of fluoride therapy, injection of local anesthesia, and drilling, by applying the Venham anxiety and clinical cooperation scales. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis, and Chi-square tests. The significance level of 0.05 was deemed relevant in the analysis. Results: A significant correlation was established between the mean of CFSS and the variety of temperament (P = 0.001). Anxiety and uncooperative behavior during injection and drilling were strongly related to lower sociability scores. Furthermore, higher anxiety during the drilling stage was related to higher impulsivity scores. Conclusion: The evaluation of children’s anxiety and cooperation in dental clinics heavily relies on temperament and certain related factors, such as sociability. These variables serve as crucial benchmarks in understanding and assessing the psychological state of children during dental procedures.

Keywords

• anxiety
• behavior management
• dentistry
• preschool children
• temperament