The Impact of Cavity Preparation Methods on Children's Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety negatively influences children's behaviour in the dental office. Aim and objectives: This study aims to compare anxiety level of children during cavity preparation done by conventional rotary method vs. chemo-mechanical atraumatic method. Material and methods: 24 patients aged between 6 and 12 years, of both sexes, were included in the study. The patients were divided in two study groups. In children allocated to Group 1, the cavity preparation was done via conventional method, using rotary instrumentation – low speed handpiece and round carbide burs, while in children from Group 2, cavity preparation was done via chemo-mechanical method. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire following the procedure, to assess dental anxiety. The answers, representing a numerical scale, were statistically analysed using the Mann-Whitney U and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Results: The results of the statistical analysis revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the treatment groups regarding dental anxiety. However, there were no statistically significant differences among different age groups or between sexes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the use of the chemo-mechanical method for cavity preparation reduces dental anxiety in children, while patient's age and gender do not influence significantly dental anxiety levels.