Relation between anxiety disorders in adolescent mothers and dental fear in children.

BACKGROUND

Maternal anxiety disorders can cause adverse consequences in child's health, cognitive development, and behavior.

AIM: To investigate the association of maternal anxiety disorders with the occurrence of dental fear in children aged 24-36 months.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study is part of a cohort of adolescent mothers and their children (n = 527) in the city of Pelotas, RS, Brazil. Anxiety disorders in mothers were assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (DSM-IV), whereas the Dental Anxiety Question was used to assess children's dental fear. Clinical oral examinations were performed on the cohort. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association of maternal anxiety disorders with maternal perception of dental fear in children (p < .05).

RESULTS

The prevalence of dental fear in children was 21.7% (n = 114), and maternal age, agoraphobia, social phobia, and maternal caries experience (p < .05) were associated with the presence of dental fear. After adjusted analysis, children of mothers presenting with agoraphobia (Prevalence ratios [PR] = 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00-2.32) and social phobia (PR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.06-2.71) had higher prevalence of dental fear than children whose mothers did not have any of these conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

In this population of young mothers, agoraphobia and social phobia were associated with children's dental fear. Detection of and treatment for maternal mental disorders may aid in the prevention of dental fear and its oral health-related consequences.