Assessment of the Relationship Between Dental Anxiety and Patient's Gender in Children Aged 4–6 Years Attending the Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between dental anxiety and patient's gender, in addition to examining the association between the physiological response to anxiety and pain perception among children aged 4–6 years attending the Faculty of Dentistry.

Materials and Methods: A clinical study was conducted on a sample of 100 children of both genders. The assessment tools included measuring dental anxiety through oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter (as an objective, non-subjective measure), alongside pain evaluation using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (as a subjective measure). Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Spearman tests.

Results: The findings revealed that females recorded slightly lower oxygen saturation levels compared to males during the dental session (97.59 vs. 97.95 at T0; 96.77 vs. 97.29 at T1), and reported higher pain scores according to the Wong-Baker Scale (2.48 vs. 2.18). Although the differences did not reach statistical significance, they indicate a tendency for higher anxiety and pain among females. Moreover, Spearman’s test showed a weak but statistically significant inverse correlation between oxygen saturation and pain scores (r = -0.211, P = 0.035), suggesting that children with higher anxiety may be more prone to experiencing greater pain.

Conclusions: The study concluded that patient gender may represent a contributing factor in the psychological and physiological responses associated with dental anxiety. Combining objective measures such as oxygen saturation with self-report tools like the Wong-Baker Scale provides a more accurate approach to monitoring anxiety and pain. The findings also recommend considering patient gender when planning behavioral interventions to improve children’s experiences in the dental clinic.