Evaluation of the effect of parental presence or absence on child behaviour during dental treatment

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of parental presence or absence on the child's behavior during dental treatment in children aged 4-7 years, as well as the relationship between parental dental anxiety and child dental anxiety. Seventy-two children (38 girls, 34 boys; mean age 5.50±1.14 years) were included in the study among the patients who applied to the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Dentistry Tepebaşı Oral and Dental Health Training and Research Hospital. The patients were randomly divided into three groups: parent-child together, parent-child physically separated, and parent-child visually and physically separated during dental treatment. The preoperative anxiety levels of the children were assessed by CFSS-DS and VRT in the first session. CDAS was used to determine the parents' dental anxiety. A week later, an appointment for restorative treatments was scheduled. During the second session, pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation were measured at 30-s intervals. The treatment process was videotaped from start to finish, and the children's behavior was graded using the Frankl Behaviour Scale by an independent dentist. Following treatment, the children's postoperative anxiety levels were assessed using CFSS-DS and VRT. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation. There was no statistically significant relationship between the patients' pre-treatment CFSS-DS scores and their parents' CDAS scores. In terms of CFSS-DS and VRT scores before and after treatment, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. According to Frankl Behavior scores, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. The IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 program was used to analyze the data. The statistical significance level p≤0.05 was accepted. Within the limits of our study, there was no difference in dental fear and anxiety in children aged 4-7 years according to the presence or absence of parents. vii There was no link found between parental and child anxiety. According to the findings of this study, it is impossible to make a definitive judgment regarding the parent's position during dental treatments. The presence or absence of a parent should be determined on a case-by-case basis.