title: Impact of Self-concept on Preschoolers' Dental Anxiety and Behavior.
abstract: Background and aims . Different factors affect children's behavior during dental treatment, including psychological and behavioral characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of self-concept on child's anxiety and behavior during dental treatment in 4 to 6-year-old children. Materials and methods. A total of 235 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years were included in this descriptive analytic study. Total self-concept score for each child was assessed according to Primary Self-concept Scale before dental treatment. Child's anxiety and child's behavior were assessed, during the restoration of mandibular primary molar, using clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale, respectively. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the total self-concept score with the results of clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale. Results. There was a moderate inverse correlation between the self-concept and clinical anxiety rating scale scores (r = -0.545, P < 0.001), and a moderate correlation between the self-concept and child's behavior scores (r = 0.491, P < 0.001). A strong inverse relation was also found between the anxiety and behavior scores (r = -0.91, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Children with higher self-concept had lower anxiety level and better behavioral feedback during dental treatment.
authors.affiliation: Dental and Periodontal Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran ; Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Erfanparast
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vafaei
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Azin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sohrabi
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ranjkesh
authors.affiliation: Psychologist, Cyber Psychology and Neurofeedback Center, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bahadori
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pourkazemi
authors.affiliation: Dentist, Private Practice, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Shabnam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dadashi
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Sajjad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shirazi
keywords: Behavior; child; dental anxiety; self-concept