Assessment of anticipatory maternal anxiety and its effect on child’s behavior in a dental setting with and without the use of pre appointment behavior modification

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of dental fear and state anxiety in the mothers of pediatric dental patients and whether providing preparatory information regarding treatment would have a significant impact on the anticipatory anxiety. Forty children and their mothers visiting the pediatric dental clinic were participants of the study, and were randomly allocated into two groups. One group was provided with preparatory information regarding the child's treatment. Using dental fear survey and state trait anxiety inventory - state, fear and anxiety levels in the mothers were measured respectively, before and after reading the preparatory information. In Experimental Group, the mother’s dental fear and anxiety levels showed a significant reduction as compared to the control group. This study confirms the existence of a significant relationship between maternal fear and anxiety, and child behaviour in the dental office. Involving the parents through communication, and engendering a cooperative spirit will assure reduced stress in treating our pediatric patients.