The Prevalence of Dental Anxiety in Children from Low-income Families and its Relationship to Personality Traits

Abstract

The prevalence of dental anxiety and the association between dental anxiety and personality traits were examined in a population-based sample of 895 US urban children, from 5 to 11 years of age, from low-income families. Dental anxiety was reported by the child using the Dental Subscale (DS) of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule, and behavioral problems and personality traits were evaluated by parent report on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Mean DS scores were 31.1 (SD = 10.3) for boys and 34.3 (SD = 11.0) for girls. CBCL score means were 33.3 (SD = 23.2) for boys and 28.5 (SD = 19.1) for girls. The hypothesized relationship between DS and CBCL scores in this population was not demonstrated.