Evalation of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dental anxiety level of children aged 7-12

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the presence of dental anxiety in children between the ages of 7-12 and their parents and the factors affecting dental anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Method: The study was performed by children aged 7-12 years and their parents who applied to Ondokuz Mayıs University, Department of Dentistry, Pedodontics, by filling in the information form and the dental anxiety scales CFSS-DS and MDAS. Data was statistically analyzed by Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-Square goodness-of-fit test and Chi-Square test of independence (p<0.05). Results: The study showed that the mean CFSS-DS score of 687 children was 28.9 and 17.5% had dental anxiety. There is a statistically significant relationship between dental anxiety of children and age, gender, family income, parent's last visit to the dentist, having a family history of COVID-19 infection, parents' concerns about taking their children to the dentist during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the increase in the frequency of sugar consumption in children. (p<0.05). Conclusion: It is important to determine the factors that may cause dental anxiety in a possible pandemic period such as COVID-19, for choosing behavior management techniques in this period, preventing dental anxiety and providing dental control and treatment of children in later ages.