An investigation into dental anxiety amongst paediatric cardiology patients.

Background: There is evidence that children with cardiac conditions have high levels of untreated dental disease. One possible explanation is that they are more dentally anxious as a result of increased exposure to medical interventions. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to compare the level of dental anxiety between paediatric cardiology patients and healthy children.

Methods: The study group comprised 54 children (mean age 12.2 years) who attended the outpatient paediatric cardiology clinic in tertiary care. The control group (n = 53, mean age 12.38 years) was recruited from consultant-led new-patient orthodontic clinics. Child dental anxiety was measured using the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (faces version). The parents completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale along with a questionnaire regarding their child's medical and dental histories.

Results: The mean level of dental anxiety was significantly higher in the study group (P < 0.05). Analysis of covariance indicated that overnight hospital admission history may have influenced the strength of this relationship.

Conclusions: Paediatric cardiology patients had significantly increased levels of dental anxiety. It is likely that aspects of their medical history, notably overnight hospital admissions, are contributory factors.