Assessment of Child Psychological Attributes for Prediction of Child Behavior at First Dental Visit

Assessment of Child Psychological Attributes Using Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire for Prediction of Child Behavior at First Dental Visit Through: A Cross Sectional Study

One of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide is mental disorder, including social, emotional, and behavioral problems, and it is the fifth main cause of global disability . In Egypt, it is estimated that 20.6% of children aged from 6-12 years had behavioral problems

Behavioral and emotional problems may affect deeply child's quality of life, such as impairment of school life (high absence), They may cause nutritional imbalance and even suicidal thoughts. Therefore, both the dentist and the family should be adequately prepared to deal with those children who come seeking dental treatment.

Recently, studies proved the association between the psychological characteristics and the behavior of children in dental setting. There was a study that showed that there is a relation between psychological functioning of the child, dental anxiety and his/her behaviour during dental appointment. Furthermore, it was found that there is a correlation between the temperamental difficulties or emotional problems of the child and the non-cooperative behavior during the process of injection of the local anesethia.

These studies ensures the importance of understanding the effect of mental disorders on the behavior of children during dental treatment, as it would help the professionals to properly plan the clinic appointments without any delay or cancellation of the appointment and allows him to render effective and efficient dental treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Psychological Disorders

Detailed Description

this study aims to acknowledge the different psychological attributes among children seeking dental treatment at young age and to assess the association between child psychological attributes and his/her behavior in dental clinic.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 128

Contacts and Locations

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 4 years to 7 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Out patients of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department at Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Egypt who are having a dental problem and coming for their first dental visit.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children: school aged children (4 to 7) years old
• Teeth: carious teeth requiring a simple dental treatment (cavity preparation with restoration)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children:

  • Medically compromised children.
  • Children with previous dental history.
  • Refusal of participation.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Child psychological attributes	Total difficulty score using strengths and difficulties questionnaire (0-40) 0-13 normal 14-16 border line 17-40 abnormal	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Actual child behavior during the dental treatment.	Rating (0-4) using Fankl scale Rating 1 (--) definitely negative Refusal of treatment, forceful crying, fearfulness or any other overt evidence of extreme negativism. Rating 2 (-) negative Reluctance to accept treatment, uncooperativeness, some evidence of negative attitude but not pronounced. Rating 3 (+) positive Acceptance of treatment, cautious behaviour at times willingness to comly with the dentist, at times with reservation, but patient follows the dentist's directions cooperatively. Rating 4 (++) definitely positive Good rapport with the dentist, interest in the dental procedure, laughing and enjoying the situation.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sandra M Anwar, BSc, Resident at pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department; Study Director: Sara A Mahmoud, phD, Associate Professor at Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): August 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): July 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 5, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): April 9, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 9, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2019
• Last Verified: April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: child behavior; psychological attributes; child mental disorders; strength and difficulties questionnaire
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 14422017495365

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No