title: Minimal intervention dentistry for early childhood caries and child dental anxiety: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare changes in child dental anxiety after treatment for early childhood caries (ECC) using two treatment approaches.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children with ECC were randomized to test (atraumatic restorative treatment (ART)-based approach) or control (standard care approach) groups. Children aged 3 years or older completed a dental anxiety scale at baseline and follow up. Changes in child dental anxiety from baseline to follow up were tested using the chi-squared statistic, Wilcoxon rank sum test, McNemar's test and multinomial logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and fifty-four children were randomized (N = 127 test, N = 127 control). At baseline, 193 children completed the dental anxiety scale, 211 at follow up and 170 completed the scale on both occasions. Children who were anxious at baseline (11%) were no longer anxious at follow up, and 11% non-anxious children became anxious. Multinomial logistic regression found each increment in the number of visits increased the odds of worsening dental anxiety (odds ratio (OR), 2.2; P < 0.05), whereas each increment in the number of treatments lowered the odds of worsening anxiety (OR, 0.50; P = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ART-based approach to managing ECC resulted in similar levels of dental anxiety to the standard treatment approach and provides a valuable alternative approach to the management of ECC in a primary dental care setting.
authors.affiliation: Western Australian Department of Health and Dental Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.|Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arrow
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klobas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D057087:Dental Atraumatic Restorative Treatment; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Atraumatic restorative treatment; child dental anxiety; early childhood caries; facial image scale