The Effect of Parents' Presence and Their Anxieties on Children's Dental Anxiety During Dental Procedures: Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: To evaluate the effect of the anxiety of a parent accompanying a child on the child's anxiety during treatment.

Methods: Parents of 160 patients (4-8 years old) were divided into two groups anxious and non-anxious. Each groups had separated two randomized subgroups that with/without parents accompanied their children. At the first visit, participating children were examined while the behavior of the child during the examination was evaluated by a single pediatric dentist according to their heart rates measured by a portable pulse oximeter and the data were recorded (objective data).Forty-two children with a score of 1 and 4 on the Frankel Scale were excluded. After the parents were divided into two groups, anxious and non-anxious, the groups were equally divided randomly and the parents accompanied their children during the treatment.

Patients were recalled after one week for the treatment visit. Both groups were evaluated using the basic behavior technique. Compomer fillings were performed on children with infiltration anesthesia. The children's heart rates were measured by a portable pulse oximeter during treatment. Finally, the children were asked to express how they felt about the treatment by pointing out one of the faces on the Wong-Baker Faces Scale (subjective data). The children also rated the experience on the Frankel scale administered by the same operator.