Evaluation of dental anxiety in children in relation to children's emotional intelligence, parenting styles, and parents' dental anxiety

Backround: Dental anxiety and behavioural problems are frequently encountered in dentistry. The aim of this study was to examine the correlations between children’s dental fear and anxiety and the subscales of emotional intelligence, parental dental anxiety, and parenting styles. Methods: Children aged 7–12 years without prior dental treatment experience were included in the study. The children’s dental anxiety levels were determined via the facial version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDAS(f)). To assess their emotional intelligence levels, the Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Scale-Child and Adolescent Form was administered. The dental anxiety levels of the children’s families were evaluated via the Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS), whereas the parenting style was assessed with the Parenting Style and Dimension Questionnaire. Results: We found a positive relationship between the MCDAS(f) score and patient age (p = 0.023) and between the MCDAS(f) and CDAS scores (p = 0.047). A negative relationship was evident between the MCDAS(f) scores and the emotional quotient (EQ) scores (p = 0.04), with a weak negative relationship between the MCDAS(f) scores and general mood. The latter relationship was not statistically significant (p = 0.053), but the p-value was borderline and had the potential to be clinically significant. Conclusions: Based on the study results, we concluded that children with higher overall EQ levels exhibit lower levels of dental anxiety. Furthermore, we observed that children with high scores on the emotional intelligence subscale of optimism and positive outlook, which is included in the general mood scale, tend to have lower levels of dental anxiety. As children age, their cognitive levels increase, which appears to be associated with a rise in dental anxiety levels. Our findings also showed that the anxiety levels of the children were positively but weakly correlated with the anxiety levels of their families.

Dental anxiety; Emotional quotient; Parenting style

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