Factors Affecting Self-Reported Pain in Children Receiving Dental Treatment

Abstract

The aim of the current study is to investigate the ability of self-reported pain tools to help dentists during pederatic patient managment and to determine the effect of different interpersonal and treatment variables as well as the level of dental anxiety on a child’s self-report pain and change after dental injection procedure. A randomized multicenter two arms clinical trial was conducted with a total of fifty children who were enrolled and divded into two groups (n = 25). The mean Group I age was 7.99 ± 0.81 and was randomly selected from pedodontics clinics at the faculty of dentistry (October 6 university, Egypt); Group II’s mean age was 7.73 ± 0.60 and was randomly selected from outpatient Tanta governmental hospitals. The tools used in the current research were personal interview, dental operator questionnaire, Venham picture test, Visual analogue scale and Wong Baker faces pain scale. İt was concluded that self reported pain in children is a relevant tool that can be used successfully for assessment of dental pain which can help dental practitioners deliver effective treatment. The most powerful factors which influence self-reported pain are age, previous positive dental experience and level of dental anxiety. This study will enable dental practioners to empathise with and deal successfully with children undergoing dental procedures.