Dental Fear and Anxiety of Chinese Preschool Children in a School-Based Outreach Service Using Silver Diamine Fluoride for Caries Control: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ivy Guofang Sun, Hollis Haotian Chai, Edward Chin Man Lo, Chun Hung Chu and Duangporn Duangthip ()
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Ivy Guofang Sun: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Hollis Haotian Chai: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Edward Chin Man Lo: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Chun Hung Chu: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Duangporn Duangthip: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: Limited data are available regarding the patient-based outcomes of SDF therapy in the kindergarten setting. This study aims to evaluate the dental fear and anxiety (DFA) of preschool children after participating in a school-based outreach service using SDF to arrest early childhood caries (ECC). The study recruited 3- to 5-year-old children with untreated ECC. A trained dentist performed a dental examination and applied SDF therapy to the carious lesions. ECC experience was measured using the dmft index. Questionnaires for parents were used to collect the children’s demographic information and their dental treatment experiences. The children’s DFA before and immediately after SDF therapy was assessed using the self-reported Facial Image Scale (FIS) on a Likert scale of 1 (very happy) to 5 (very distressed). The association between the children’s DFA after SDF therapy and the potentially related factors, including demographic background, caries experience, and DFA before SDF therapy, were analysed using bivariate analysis. Three hundred and forty children (187 boys, 55%) joined this study. Their mean (SD) age and dmft scores were 4.8 (0.9) and 4.6 (3.6), respectively. Most of them (269/340, 79%) never had a dental visit. After SDF therapy, 86% (294/340) of the children exhibited no or low DFA (FIS ≤ 3), whereas 14% (46/340) reported high DFA (FIS > 3). No factor was associated with children’s DFA after SDF therapy ( p > 0.05). This study showed most preschool children with ECC exhibited no or low DFA after SDF therapy in a school setting.

Keywords: caries; children; fluoride; fear; anxiety; silver diamine fluoride (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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