Treatment experience, frequency of dental visits, and children's dental fear: a cognitive approach

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorCarrillo-Diaz, M.
dc.contributor.authorCrego, A.
dc.contributor.authorArmfield, J.
dc.contributor.authorRomero-Maroto, M.
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractCognitive elements play a key role in dental anxiety. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about how dental treatments and frequency of visits to the dentist are related to dental fear and its cognitive antecedents. This study aimed to explore the relationships between dental visits, past treatment experiences, expectations on the aversiveness/probability of negative dental events, and dental fear in children. The participants were 147 children (60% female; mean age = 12.0 yr) who completed a questionnaire comprising measures of dental treatment-related experience (attendance, fillings, and extractions), perceived aversiveness and probability of dental events, and dental anxiety. Bivariate correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. A higher frequency of dental visits was associated with less dental fear and a decreased belief in the probability of negative events occurring during treatment. The type of treatments received was not directly linked to dental fear. However, having received fillings was significantly associated with the perceived probability of negative dental events, whereas extractions were positively associated with these expectations but negatively associated with the perceived aversiveness of possible dental events. Regular dental visits, as well as dental treatments, can influence, in different ways, cognitive elements associated with dental anxiety in children.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityMaria Carrillo-Diaz, Antonio Crego, Jason M. Armfield, Martin Romero-Maroto
dc.identifier.citationEuropean Journal of Oral Sciences, 2012; 120(1):75-81
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/j.1600-0722.2011.00921.x
dc.identifier.issn0909-8836
dc.identifier.issn1600-0722
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/71741
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMunksgaard Int Publ Ltd
dc.rights© 2012 Eur J Oral Sci
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0722.2011.00921.x
dc.subjectcognition
dc.subjectdental anxiety
dc.subjectdental visits
dc.subjectfillings
dc.subjectextractions
dc.titleTreatment experience, frequency of dental visits, and children's dental fear: a cognitive approach
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

Files

Collections

Dentistry publications