Dentophobia in Children During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Dorina Stan “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
  • Dragos Voicu “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
  • Magda Antohe University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa” Iasi
  • Monica Boev “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
  • Iulia Chiscop “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
  • Ovidiu Mihai Stefanescu University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa” Iasi
  • Lucian Stefan Burlea University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa” Iasi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/15.1/567

Keywords:

pandemic COVID-19, dental fear, dental care in children, the dentist-patient relationship

Abstract

Dentophobia is a significant problem in oral health management. In the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the associated sanitary measures (quarantine, social distancing) at national level, the fear and dental anxiety are supposedly increased, especially in children. Pediatric patients are emotionally affected when they faced with the need for emergency dental intervention.

The current study seeks to assess the emotional state of children aged 8-12, who needed dental care during quarantine, at the regional level, as well as the degree of anxiety of their parents. Dental anxiety was assessed independently by the dentist, parents and children themselves. If in children, the level of dental anxiety increased insignificantly, compared to the pre-pandemic period, the levels of parental anxiety were higher. The boys in the pandemic group had a higher level of anxiety, especially in the parental assessment.

The results suggest that the reorganization of oral care in the pandemic scenario did not have a major effect on children's dental anxiety. However, the results of the assessment in boys show that they may be more vulnerable and need special care to alleviate their anxiety and reduce their risk of dentophobia in the future. These conclusions should be treated with caution, given the small sample size, which requires further confirmation. It is also important to convince parents of the safety of a visit to the dentist during a pandemic, to minimize their anxiety about their children's dental fears.

References

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Published

2024-02-06

How to Cite

Stan, D., Voicu, D., Antohe, M., Boev, M., Chiscop, I., Stefanescu, O. M., & Burlea, L. S. (2024). Dentophobia in Children During the Covid-19 Pandemic. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 15(1), 542-549. https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/15.1/567

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