Abstract This study aimed to characterize the profile of
dental anxiety in pediatric
patients, identifying the effect exerted by
socioeconomic factors using dental data. A
cross-sectional study design with a sample of 120
children aged 7-12 years old was used. Data relating to
anxiety levels prior to
dental care, socioeconomic aspects (
family income,
education level,
child's
school type), and
child's dental
history (previous dental
appointments, previous
treatment, caries experience) were collected. Additionally, participants completed the Brazilian version of the
Children's
Fear Survey Schedule- Dental Subscale (B-CFSS-DS) to assess
dental anxiety. Descriptive analyses, chi-squared (X 2 ) tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed, with a significance level of 5%. A total of 51
boys (42.5%) and 69
girls (57.5%) were included. There was no significant difference in
dental anxiety between them. However, younger
children had higher mean B-CFSS-DS scores (p = 0.036, Mann-Whitney). A higher
prevalence of
dental anxiety was found in participants from low-
income families (p = 0.012, X 2 ) and in
patients who did not receive endodontic
treatment (p=0.034, X 2 ). Higher mean B-CFSS-DS scores were also observed in participants
who did not receive endodontic
treatment (p=0.001, Mann-Whitney) compared with those that did receive endodontic
treatment. No relationship was found between
education level,
patient school type, first dental
appointment, caries experience, and
dental anxiety data. Younger
children presented a profile of greater
dental anxiety.
Socioeconomic factors and dental data exerted some effect on
dental anxiety, where
children from low-
income families and those not subjected to endodontic
treatment displayed higher rates of
dental anxiety.