Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To investigate the current status of dental anxiety in pediatric patients with malocclusion and its impact on oral health-related quality of life. Methods In this study, 104 pediatric patients with malocclusion from January 2021 to January 2023 were selected for the study. Dental anxiety was assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Questionnaire (MDAS). General information such as gender and age were compared between children with dental anxiety disorder and non-dental anxiety disorder. Children and adolescents oral health quality of life (COHRQOL) was assessed and compared. And analyze the relationship between anxiety and oral health quality of life in children with dental anxiety disorder. Results Dental anxiety disorder was detected in 44 of 104 children with malocclusion. The differences in age, subjective adverse visit experience, and orthodontic pain between children with and without dental anxiety disorder were statistically significant (P<0.05). The differences in gender, residence, and orthodontic classification were not statistically significant between the two groups (P>0.05). The COHRQOL scale oral health, school environment, social-emotional health, self-image scores, and total scores were significantly lower in children with dental anxiety than in children with non-dental anxiety (P<0.05). The difference in functional health was not statistically significant (p>0.05). MDAS scores were negatively correlated with COHRQOL scale school environment, social-emotional health, self-image scores, and total scores in children with dental anxiety disorders (P<0.05). Conclusion The higher detection rate of dental anxiety in children with malocclusion may be related to age and subjective adverse visit experience, and dental anxiety can reduce oral health-related quality of life.

Key words Children; Malocclusion; Dental Anxiety; Oral Health-Related Quality Of Life