Anticipatory anxiety in children visiting the dentist: lack of effect of preparatory information.
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to explore whether viewing a leaflet explaining the benefits of dental treatment would have a significant impact on children's anticipatory anxiety.


METHODS
Fifty children aged 8-12, attending the paediatric dental clinic of King's College Hospital, London, took part in this triple-masked, randomized control study. The participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups and either shown an intervention leaflet containing child-friendly dental information (the experimental group) or a leaflet with child-friendly information on the benefits of healthy eating (the control group). Using the Facial Image Scale, anxiety was measured when the children arrived for their dental appointment, once before reading the leaflet and again after reading the leaflet.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant effect of the experimental leaflet on self-reported anxiety levels in this study, although anxiety levels did drop slightly in both groups after reading a leaflet.


CONCLUSIONS
Providing paediatric patients with preparatory information about what to expect from a visit to the dentist had no effect on anticipatory anxiety in comparison to reading a leaflet about healthy eating. We speculate that reading, or cognitive processing, may have some beneficial effect. Future work should investigate this possibility.
Olumide
Funmi
F
King's College London Dental Institute, Department of Oral Health Services Research & Dental Public Health, King's College London, London SE5 9RW, UK.
Newton
J Tim
JT
Dunne
Stephen
S
Gilbert
David B
DB
D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011386:Projective Techniques; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012718:Set, Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome