Dental Fear in Children
Dental phobia or dental fear, and dental anxiety have been used interchangeably in the dental literature to describe the overwhelming discomfort that some youth and adults experience in dental situations. The prevalence of dental anxeity (fear or phobia) in children and adolescents is between 5.7% and 19%. Klingberg & Broberg reviewed these studies and estimated that about 9% of children and adolescents suffer from the condition. In the literature, dental phobia is categorised as a specific phobia – like Needle phobia. It is difficult to differentiate between Dental Behaviour Management Problems(DBMP) and dental phobia. DBMP is defined as disruptive behaviour that counteracts cooperation and makes dental care difficult or impossible. About 27% of children with DBMP present dental fear and 61% of children with dental phobia have DBMP.
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