title: Dental Experience, Anxiety, and Oral Health in Low-income Chilean Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between early dental experiences and clinical indicators of oral health and dental anxiety upon admission to a comprehensive oral health program for six-year-old children in Chile.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred twenty-nine six-year-old children were enrolled in the Recreo Family Health Center of the Municipality of San Miguel, Santiago, Chile. Oral health status was assessed based on the decayed, extracted, or filled teeth index, simplified oral hygiene index, and Streptococcus mutans score. Dental anxiety was assessed using the facial image scale and Frankl scale. Early dental experience was classified as: no previous dental visits; preventive control; restorative treatment; and emergency visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children who had previous experience of restorative treatment and emergency visits showed greater dental caries damage (Kruskal-Wallis, P <.01). Those who had emergency visits had the highest S. mutans score. There was no relationship between the type of prior dental experience and the anxiety level or oral hygiene index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Invasive dental treatment resulted in greater susceptibility to dental caries damage; however, these experiences did not influence dental anxiety levels.
authors.affiliation: Section of Behavioral Sciences, Institute for Research in Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. grojasalcayaga@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rojas-Alcayaga
authors.affiliation: private practice, La Serena, Chile.
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uribe
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barahona
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dento-Maxillo Orthopedics, School of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lipari
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Yerko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.affiliation: Section of Behavioral Sciences, Institute for Research in Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Section of Behavioral Sciences, Institute for Research in Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Matías
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ríos
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D004245:DMF Index; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D011203:Poverty; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification