Dental fear in children and its relation to dental caries and gingival condition – a cross sectional study in Bangalore City, India.

Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the levels of dental fear, and its association with dental caries and gingivitis among 12 – 15 year old government high school children in Bangalore City, India. Methods: Eight government high schools were selected by simple random method from the 2 zones of Bangalore City. All the children who participated in this study were asked the single item Dental Anxiety Question to assess the dental fear and underwent oral examination for dental caries and gingivitis using decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index and Community Periodontal Index (CPI), respectively. Results: The prevalence of high dental fear among the study population was 23.4%. The mean MT was significantly associated with high fear. Highly significant correlation was found between presence of bleeding on gentle probing and high dental fear. Conclusion: High dental fear plays an important role in the oral health status of 12 to 15 year old children.&nbsp