DENTAL ANXIETY AMONG PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS CHILDREN IN ISTANBUL,TURKEY

Abstract

The aim of this pilot survey was to evaluate the reported prevalence of dental attendance, anxiety and associated factors among a sample of children in Istanbul, Turkey.

Method: The information was gathered through self-completion questionnaires distributed to children in the randomly selected secondary public and private schools from different socioeconomic areas. A total of 215 children (aged from 11-15 years) were randomly selected in a public school (n=134) and a private school (n=81) from different parts of Istanbul. For the purpose of this study, the list of secondary schools that included 6th, 7th and 8th grades was obtained from the Provincial National Education Directorate. All children (mean age (SD) 13.12 (0.86) years) completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) which also contained items related to dental attendance. The MDAS has been validated in Turkey (Tunc EP et al., 2005 and Ilguy D. Et al., 2005). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0. The unpaired t-test was used to compare the groups. It was approved by the ethics committee of the Institute of Health Sciences of Marmara University (ethics number: 46). Consent was gained from the parents of the children.

Results: MDAS score was 10.7 (sd 4.63) of the total sample in the survey (11-15 years of age). MDAS score was higher in boys, but there were no statistically differences in MDAS scores between boys and girls (p>0.05). Private school children n=43 (53%) visited the dentist more regularly than public school children n=53 (40%) and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.005). However, the majority of children (public n=58 (43%), private n=18 (22%) attended the dentist only in an emergency. The main reason for irregular attendance was reported as “treatment not needed” (n=103, 48%).

Conclusions: Despite the advances in the availability of modern dentistry, a higher proportion of public school children reported irregular dental attendance and anxiety about certain of aspects dental treatment.