An investigation into dental anxiety amongst paediatric cardiology patients

Background

There is evidence that children with cardiac conditions have high levels of untreated dental disease. One possible explanation is that they are more dentally anxious as a result of increased exposure to medical interventions. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to compare the level of dental anxiety between paediatric cardiology patients and healthy children.

Methods

The study group comprised 54 children (mean age 12.2 years) who attended the outpatient paediatric cardiology clinic in tertiary care. The control group (n = 53, mean age 12.38 years) was recruited from consultant-led new-patient orthodontic clinics. Child dental anxiety was measured using the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (faces version). The parents completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale along with a questionnaire regarding their child's medical and dental histories.

Results

The mean level of dental anxiety was significantly higher in the study group (P < 0.05). Analysis of covariance indicated that overnight hospital admission history may have influenced the strength of this relationship.

Conclusions

Paediatric cardiology patients had significantly increased levels of dental anxiety. It is likely that aspects of their medical history, notably overnight hospital admissions, are contributory factors.