Dental Anxiety in Elementary Schoolchildren

Objective: To identify the percentage of students with dentalanxiety.Method: A transversal exploratory study was designed involving976 schoolchildren aged 9 to 17 years from three public schoolslocated in the urban perimeter of the city of Campos Novos (SC).Data collection instruments were questionnaires adapted from theDental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS).Results: 84% of the subjects manifested anxiety, most of thembeing classified as low-anxiety individuals. Girls were a little moreanxious than boys (87% versus 81%). The relationship betweenage group and percentage of anxious patients indicates a decreasein the frequency for older individuals. The most frequently mentionedphysiological responses were accelerated heart beat and tremors.The triggering factors were “to see” or “to hear the noise of” thedental bur and anesthesia. Most subjects (84.5%) affirmed to havevisited a dental office in the past two years and 63.5% of themreported that the dental appointments were scheduled for restorativepurposes.Conclusion: Dental anxiety was present in this population in ahigh percentage.