Effect of Parental Absence on Child's Dental Anxiety and Behaviors During Dental Treatment

Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dental Caries; Dental Anxiety; Children, Only

Treatments: Behavioral: Parental presence; Behavioral: Parental visual support; Behavioral: Parental absence

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05125731

E2-21-738

Details and patient eligibility

About

The basis of pediatric dentistry is to provide cooperation in children with various behavioral management techniques. The presence or absence of the parent during dental treatments can be used to ensure the child's compliance with the treatment.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the presence or absence of the parent on the child's dental anxiety and child's behavior during dental treatment. The secondary aim is to examine the relationship between the child's dental fear and the parent's dental fear.

Healthy children between the ages of 4-7, who have no dental experience and need restorative treatment will be included in the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three study groups (Group 1: Parental absence, Group 2: Parent behind a barrier and Group 3: Parental presence).

Psychometric and projective tests will be applied to assess child's and parent's dental anxiety at the beginning of the study.

At the second appointment scheduled for the operative treatment of decayed primary molar tooth, first the child will be administered topical and local anesthesia, a rubber dam will be placed on the decayed tooth, the caries will be removed with high and low speed rotary instruments and the cavity will be restored with a compomer filling.

Children's heart rates and blood oxygen saturation will be measured by a pulse oximeter during treatment in order to evaluate dental anxiety. Children will be videotaped during treatment so that their behaviour can be evaluated later by another researcher.

After treatment, psychometric and projective tests used to measure the child's dental anxiety will be re-administered.

Full description

The aim of this clinical study is:

• to determine the presence or absence of the parent during the treatment in order to ensure the cooperation of the child during the dental treatment

• to investigate the relationship between the parent's dental fear and the child's dental fear

  72 healthy children aged 4-7 will be recruited from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry outpatient clinic.

Participants who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate will be randomly allocated to Group 1 (Parental absence), Group 2 (Parent behind a barrier) or Group 3 (Parental presence).

A simple randomization method will be used with opaque sealed envelopes containing "Group 1", "Group 2" or "Group 3" prepared separately for 4 different ages (4, 5, 6 and 7) in the study. Group allocation will be performed by an independent researcher, not involved in the study.

"Venham Picture Test" and "The Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule" questionnaire will be applied to the children before and after the dental treatments.

The parent's dental anxiety will be measured with "The Corah Dental Anxiety Scale" and parent's attitude will be measured with "Parental Attitude Scale".

During the dental treatments the heart rate and the blood oxygen saturation of each participant will be recorded at 30-second intervals. The mean number of these measurements will be calculated for each of the following processes.

1. Sitting in the dental chair at the beginning of the treatment
2. Administration of topical anesthesia
3. Administration of local anesthesia
4. Caries removal with high-speed rotary instrument
5. Caries removal with low-speed rotary instrument
6. Application of dental matrix
7. Placement of dental filling material
8. Restoration finishing and polishing
9. Sitting in the dental chair at the end of the treatment

Video recordings taken during dental treatment will be watched later by a dentist who is blind to the treatment groups and the child's cooperation during treatment will be recorded using the Frankl behavioral scale.

Enrollment: 72 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 4 to 7 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• No previous dental treatment experience
• No need for urgent dental treatment
• Presence of at least one interproximal carious lesion in a primary molar tooth with a lesion depth does not exceeding 1/2 of the inner dentin radiographically and without irreversible pulp pathology

Exclusion criteria

• Any systemic disease, physical or mental disorder
• Uncooperative child who absolutely refuses dental treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

72 participants in 3 patient groups

Parental absence

Experimental group

Description:

The parent will not be present in the dental clinic during the treatment. Parents will be instructed to wait in a waiting room outside the clinic, out of sight of the child.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Parental absence

Parental visual support

Active Comparator group

Description:

The parent will watch and wait behind a transparent barrier without disrupting the interaction between the dentist and the child. This type of separation differs from the total absence of the parent because the parent is within the child's sight.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Parental visual support

Parental presence

Active Comparator group

Description:

One of the parents will accompany the child during the dental treatment. The parent is allowed to sit next to the child without disturbing the interaction between the dentist and the child.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Parental presence