Determining the relationship between perceived stress and dental anxiety in children aged 8-11 perceived stress and dental anxiety

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to determine the relationship between perceived stress and dental anxiety in children aged 8-11. Material and Methods: The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) were administered face-to-face to children aged 8-11 who visited the faculty for the first time. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. If normal distribution was not present, the Mann-Whitney U test or Spearman correlation test was applied. The significance level was set at p=0.05. Results: The study included 266 children, with 42.5% male and 57.5% female participants. The majority of the children (55.6%) were in the 8-9 age range, while 44.4% were in the 10-11 age group. The average age was 9.4 +/- 1.1 years. The mean total score of the PSS was 16.5 +/- 8.6, and the mean total score of the CFSS-DS was 33.2 +/- 11.0. A significant positive correlation was found between PSS and CFSS-DS (Spearman's rho=0.26, p<0.05). Discussion: It was concluded that as the level of perceived stress in children increases, dental anxiety also increases. Creating a calm and happy environment before treatment and approaching the treatment in a calming manner might help reduce dental anxiety in children visiting the dentist for the first time.