Managing dental fear and anxiety in pediatric patients: A qualitative study from the public's perspective.
OBJECTIVE
Internet social media offers a rich source for soliciting the public's views on health issues. This qualitative research, using You-Tube as a platform, aimed to explore the public's perspectives on management of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in pediatric patients.


METHODS
Using three keywords ("dental fear," "dental phobia," and "dental anxiety"), YouTube videos were searched. Twenty-seven videos related to DFA in children and adolescents were reviewed by three investigators, including a nondental layperson. Inductive thematic analysis was adopted for interpreting the data.


RESULTS
Several strategies were considered useful for controlling DFA in pediatric patients, including: verbal and nonverbal communication to establish closeness and effective guidance (explanation, permission-seeking, reassurance, and negotiation); desensitization to dental settings and procedures; tell-show-do; positive reinforcement; distraction by imagination and thoughtful designs of clinic; and parental presence and support. Some self-coping strategies adopted by patients alleviated their DFA, such as self-reasoning and trust-building through long-term connection. Dentists' clinical competence, favorable treatment outcomes, and state-of-the-art devices and technologies (dental lasers, intraoral camera, and adapted anaesthesia method) contributed to reducing DFA.


CONCLUSIONS
Authentic testimonials in YouTube videos endorsed and interpreted a variety of strategies adoptable by patients, parents, and dental professionals for managing children's and adolescents' dental fears and anxieties.
Lecturer, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia; a MDS student, Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, the Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Hajar S
HS
Hamzah
Research assistant professor, Dental Public Health, the Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Xiaoli
X
Gao
Professor in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, the Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. ckyyiu@hkucc.hku.hk.
Cynthia K
CK
Yung Yiu
Professor, Dental Public Health, the Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Colman
C
McGrath
Winthrop professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Nigel M
NM
King
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003740:Dental Clinics; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D017008:Negotiating; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011639:Public Opinion; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D061108:Social Media; D013674:Technology, Dental; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014741:Video Recording