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European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry

, Volume 17, Issue 3, pp 157–163 | Cite as

Predicting children’s behaviour during dental treatment under oral sedation

  • L. Lourenço-MatharuEmail author
  • A. Papineni McIntosh
  • J. W. Lo
Original Scientific Article
First Online:

Abstract

Aims

The primary aim of this study was to assess whether parents’ own anxiety and their perception of their child’s dental fear and child’s general fear can predict preoperatively their child’s behaviour during dental treatment under oral sedation. The secondary aim was to assess whether the child’s age, gender and ASA classification grade are associated with a child’s behaviour under oral sedation.

Study design

Cross-sectional prospective study.

Methods

The Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), Children’s Fear Survey Schedule Dental-Subscale (CFSS-DS) and Children’s Fear Survey Schedule Short-Form (CFSS-SF) questionnaires were completed by parents of children undergoing dental treatment with oral midazolam. Behaviour was rated by a single clinician using the overall behaviour section of the Houpt-Scale and scores dichotomised into acceptable or unacceptable behaviour. Data were analysed using χ 2, t test and logistic regression analysis.

Results

In total 404 children (215 girls, 53 %) were included, with the mean age of 4.57 years, SD = 1.9. Behaviour was scored as acceptable in 336 (83 %) and unacceptable in 68 (17 %) children.

Statistics

The level of a child’s dental fear, as perceived by their parent, was significantly associated with the behaviour outcome (p = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that if the parentally perceived child’s dental fear (CFSS-DS) rating was high, the odds of the child exhibiting unacceptable behaviour under oral sedation was two times greater than if their parents scored them a low dental fear rating (OR 2.27, 95 % CI 1.33–3.88, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

CFSS-DS may be used preoperatively to help predict behaviour outcome when children are treated under oral sedation and facilitate treatment planning.

Keywords

Children Oral sedation Parental anxiety Child dental and general fears 
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Copyright information

© European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • L. Lourenço-Matharu
    • 1
    Email author
  • A. Papineni McIntosh
    • 2
  • J. W. Lo
    • 3
    • 4
  1. 1.Unit of Paediatric DentistryDental InstituteLondonUK
  2. 2.Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery DepartmentQueen Mary’s Hospital, King’s College Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSidcupUK
  3. 3.Division of Health and Social Care ResearchKing’s College LondonLondonUK
  4. 4.NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ National Health Service Foundation Trust and King’s College LondonLondonUK

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