Abstract
During paediatric dental treatment, cooperation by children is essential, and temperament can determine their behaviour style. This study aimed to associate temperamental traits and age with behaviour during paediatric dental treatment. This was an observational and cross-sectional study of patients aged 3–10 years. To determine the temperamental traits, an Emotionality Activity and Sociability Temperament Survey (EAS) was performed with the children’s parents. The type of behaviour was determined with Frankl’s criteria. The total scores for temperamental traits, means, and standard deviations were obtained. The chi-squared test, one-way ANOVA and Student’s t-test were applied. A total of 140 patients, who were 5 ± 2.1 years old, participated in the study. Age was determinant for negative behaviour, with a greater frequency in children ≤5 years old (p < 0.05), and a significant negative correlation between age and behaviour (rho = −0.245, p = 0.001). Patients with higher emotionality and activity presented negative and definitely negative behaviours more frequently (p < 0.01). The values for sociability and shyness were similar for positive or negative behaviours. In conclusion, the temperamental traits of emotionality and activity were more frequent in children with disruptive behaviours; therefore, conducting a survey on temperamental traits can be useful for planning behavioural approaches in paediatric dentistry.
Highlights
The cooperation of children during treatment is one of the main challenges of paediatric dental care; analysing the factors that influence the behavioural responses of children is important
When analysing the behaviour presented during dental treatment, no difference was observed with respect to sex
When the results were grouped into preschoolers and schoolchildren, it was found that children ≤ 5 years of age presented negative behaviours more frequently (p = 0.026)
Summary
The cooperation of children during treatment is one of the main challenges of paediatric dental care; analysing the factors that influence the behavioural responses of children is important. The behaviour of children is determined by innate and learned factors: cognitive development, personality, maturity, age, and experiences. The reaction of children to the same stimulus can be different for each child and is based on their personality, which includes the set of physical, mental, and emotional characteristics, habits, and traits that make each individual different. Character refers to the traits that are shaped by the processes of cognitive development and life experiences that influence feelings, behaviour, decisions, judgements, and orientations. Character has three dimensions: cooperation, self-transcendence, and self-direction. These dimensions are influenced by the sociocultural and family environment, and the relationship with the environment [3]
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