Anxiety levels of the children ages between 7- 14 applied at one of the oral and dental health center and determines the factors that affect it

According to 2014 TUIK, in our country children oral and dental health problems take first place with % 24.5 among childhood general health problems of children ages between 7 and 14. Anxiety and oral-dental health applications deficiencies are the reasons on the base of this problem. There is no study about dental anxiety of children in nursing area. At the literature, who have dental anxiety brush their teeth less than the others and also they cannot easily connected by dentist and there is a positive relation between dental caries and dental anxiety . This study aimed to measure anxiety levels of the children ages between 7- 14 applied at one of the Oral and Dental Health Center and determines the factors that affect it. Socio-demographic form with 30 questions and 15-point Likert-type "Children Anxiety Sensitivity Scale" which was developed by Fleisig, Rabian, Peterson ( 1991 ), revised by Jokić-Begić Jurin, Korajlija ( 2011), Turkish validity and reliability for our country which done by Seçer (2013), were used and applied by the researchers. Percentage, mean, nonparametric significance tests, correlation test were used in the evaluation of the data. The dependent variation is children anxiety level and independent variations are socio-demographic properties like age, gender, reason for arrival etc. in the study. DMFT index (Caries, loss, filled teeth index) was determined by the dentist during the dental examination. Research population consisted of the 7-14 ages whoose comed to Kırıkkale Oral and Dental Health Center. In the power analysis performed in Minitab 16 program, the sample size was calculated as 406 and the study was completed with 408 children. As a result of the study, children were found to be moderately anxious. There was a statistically significant relationship between age, the reason for admission to the dental hospital, the explanation of the operation will be performed and the level of anxiety. There was also positive correlation between DMFT index and anxiety level. It was determined that age, maternal working status, toothbrushing habit, toothbrushing period, dental floss use, use of pacifier for long periods during infancy, daily consumption of bacon and dumplings affected DMFT index.