title: Dental fear in children with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the level of dental fear in children with a cleft lip and/or palate, to compare this level with that of a normative group testing the hypothesis that children with a cleft lip and/or palate have a higher level of dental anxiety than children from the general population, and to assess the relation between dental fear and coping.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  VU Medical Centre University Amsterdam.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 110 children (4 to 12 years old, 50 girls) with a cleft lip and/or palate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental fear in the study group was compared with a normative group of Dutch children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental fear was investigated using the parental version of the dental subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule for children aged 4 and 5 years old (n = 36). Also the Inventory of Stressful Situations was completed. Children aged 6 to 12 years old also completed the Dental Cope Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Young children with a cleft lip and/or palate experience more dental fear compared with children in a normative control group (Children's Fear Survey Schedule dental subscale scores: 30.3 ± 14.6 compared with 24.6 ± 8.6, p < .01). A weak correlation was found between the child's dental anxiety (Children's Fear Survey Schedule dental subscale) and his or her coping behavior (Dental Coping Questionnaire) (r = .196 p < .05). A clear correlation exists between the total Inventory of Stressful Situations and total Children's Fear Survey Schedule scores of the youngest age group (r = .507 p < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings support the hypothesis that dental anxiety is related to a higher level of exposure to medical interventions at a young age.
authors: W E J C
authors: WE
authors: Vogels
authors: I H A
authors: IH
authors: Aartman
authors: J S J
authors: JS
authors: Veerkamp
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires