Lęk związany z wizytą dzieci i młodzieży u stomatologa – subiektywne metody oceny

AimThe objectives of this article are to approach the problem of dental fear in children and adolescents, which is met by dentists in dental practices and to describe the methods of its evaluation. There are objective and subjective methods for the assessment of the intensity of dental anxiety. These methods can be useful for treatment planning in anxious patients.OverviewThe dental fear and anxiety of a child patient which is associated with a dental appointment may take many different forms. An adequate evaluation of the behaviour of a child patient in the dental treatment is very important at the very first contact with the dentist, as it allows the dental team to choose the right method. In dental practices especially those, who do not specialize in pediatric dentistry, may barely have skills sufficient to properly evaluate the behaviour of a young patient. This results in the selection of inappropriate methods of conduct with a child, during the first appointment, the consequence of which is a lack of cooperation during treatments, present and future.ConclusionsDentists lacking abilities and experience to assess patients’ behaviour, should considering a wider variety of evaluation methods for dental anxiety in children and adolescents. A proper relationship between dentist and patient will have a positive influence on children's attitudes in dental treatment and will improve the comfort of work and increase the effectiveness of the treatment.