What are the goals of behaviour management in dentistry?
- ease fear and anxiety
- promote an understanding of the need for good dental health
At what age does a child usually have a fear of unexpected movements, loud noises and strangers?
Age 2
What are the typical behaviour’s of a 5 year old?
- readily separated form parents
- fears have usually diminished
- proud of possessions
What are the features of dental anxiety?
- Occurs without a present or triggering stimulus
- may be a reaction to unknown danger
- may be anticipatory due to previous negative experiences
What is meant by the term ‘dental fear’?
A normal emotional response to objects or situations perceived as genuinely threatening
What is dental phobia?
A clinical mental disorder
subjects display persistent and extreme fear of objects or situations with avoidance behaviour and interference of daily life
What are the physiological signs of dental fear and anxiety?
- breathlessness
- perspiration
- palpitations
- uneasy feeling
What are the cognitive or mental features of DFA?
- interefence in concentration
- hyper vigilance
- inability to remember certain events while anxious
- imagining the worst can happen
What are behavioural reactions to DFA in children?
- avoidance
- escape from situation that causes the anxiety
- aggressive behaviour
- time wasting
What factors influence dental fear and anxiety in children?
- fear of injections or drills
- past medical and dental experience
- dental experience of friends or siblings
- attitudes of parents towards dental experience
- child’s perception that something is wrong with their teeth
regarding control, what can a dentist do to help alleviate dental anxiety in children?
- rest breaks
- signals to stop
- patient’s need for information
