Abstract

Background: Individuals with dental dread have related mental side effects and have poor oral hygiene more than other individuals. Those individuals usually postpone their dental visits and requirements, and delay, in turn, makes their dental status worse. Then, the dental health of children is influenced by several factors. This study investigates different psychological parameters among pediatric patients.
Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 300 school children. Dental examination was performed by specialized dentists and a questionnaire was used to collect data, then the data were analyzed by using SPSS program.
Results: This study included 300 school children, 210 (70%) of which reported regular attendance to dental clinics and 90 (30%) reported irregular attendance. There were significant differences among children who had regular and irregular attendance regarding decayed teeth (p=0.01), decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth index (p=0.02), dental fear (p=0.02), cognitive vulnerability perception (p=0.01), and dental prevention belief (p=0.04).
Conclusion: The dental visits of pediatric patients are influenced by various psychological factors.

Key words: Pediatrics, Dental care, Psychological factors.