[The characteristics of uncooperative children's temperament during dental treatment].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the temperament of uncooperative and cooperative children during dental treatment, and find out the characteristics of the uncooperative children's temperament.


METHODS
Fifty-two cooperative children (aged from 3 to 7 years) and thirty-five uncooperative children (aged from 3 to 7 years) during dental treatment were included in the investigation. Their parents were asked to answer the Chinese Preschool Children's Temperament Scale (CPTS). The two independent sample's Mann-whitney test and Student's t test were performed to find the difference of the type of temperament and the temperamental dimension between the two groups.


RESULTS
(1) There was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the type of temperament between the uncooperative group and the cooperative group. In the uncooperative group, the number of difficult temperament children was significantly larger than that in the uncooperative group. (2) The scores of adaptability and quality of mood were significantly higher in the uncooperative group than that in the cooperative group.


CONCLUSIONS
Children's cooperation in pediatric dentistry was correlated to their temperament. The tendencies of negative mood and slow adaptation and difficult temperament should be considered patients at risk of uncooperation in pediatric dentistry.
Su
Ji-mei
JM
Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China. sujimeiligang@yahoo.com.cn
Ye
Xiao-wei
XW
Ruan
Wen-hua
WH
Wu
Zhi-fang
ZF
Huang
Xiao-jia
XJ
D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003729:Dental Care; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D013694:Temperament