Background: Children who undergo painful experiences such as traumatic dental injury (TDI) during their early years are more likely to be at an increased risk of developing dental fear and anxiety (DFA). The purpose of this study was to identify potential risk factors for DFA of these children.
Methods: The study participants were 220 parents/caregivers and their children who experienced TDI. Their socio-demographic backgrounds were investigated with the modified WHO Oral Health Questionnaire for Children that included questions about parents' knowledge and attitudes, while the DFA level was determined using the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S Index) was used to assess oral hygiene status.
Results: The confirmed risk factors are parental knowledge, female gender, and degree of oral hygiene and pain in the last three months, while age, type of TDI, presence of soft-tissue injury, and number of subjective complaints were not confirmed. The overall model predicted approximately 54% of variance in DFA, R2 = 0.545, F (4.215) = 64.28 p < 0.001.
Conclusions: These findings emphasise the importance of addressing pain management, improving oral hygiene, and enhancing parental knowledge to mitigate DFA in children with TDIs.
Keywords: children; dental fear and anxiety; dental trauma; oral hygiene; parents.