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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of dental fear in preschool children and to estimate its association with maternal and children characteristics. Methods: The study was nested in a population-based birth cohort from Pelotas, Brazil, started in 2004. A sample of 1,129 children aged 5 years was dentally examined, and their mothers were interviewed. Dental fear was investigated using a validated instrument through the question 'Do you think that your child is afraid of going to the dentist?'. The possible answers were (1) 'no', (2) 'yes, a little', (3) 'yes' and (4) 'yes, a lot'. The outcome was dichotomized as 'children without dental fear' (answers 1 and 2) and 'children with dental fear' (answers 3 and 4). Exploratory variables included demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, maternal oral health status and maternal behaviors. The main explanatory variables were caries and dental pain. Data were analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression. Results: The prevalence of dental fear was 16.8% (95% confidence interval 14.6-19.0). Multivariate analysis showed that the lower the family income at birth and the higher the severity of dental caries, the higher the prevalence of dental fear. Children who never visited the dentist and those who frequently experienced dental pain were positively associated with higher dental fear prevalence. Conclusions: Presence of dental caries and dental pain were associated with dental fear regardless of socioeconomic origin and lack of dental service use in childhood. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dental pain in preschool children and its association with socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, and behavior variables. Subjects and Methods: The study was nested in a population-based birth cohort from Pelotas, Brazil, started in 2004. A sample of 1,129 children aged 5 years was dentally examined, and their mothers were interviewed. Exploratory variables included demographics, socioeconomic status, mothers' oral health status and associated behaviors, and caries in primary teeth. Data were analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression. Results: The prevalence of dental pain was 16.5% (95% CI: 14.4-18.8). Multivariate analysis showed that dark-skinned children (prevalence ratio, PR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.4) from low socioeconomic level (PR 1.9, 1.2-3.0) whose mothers had less than 4 years of education (PR 1.9, 1.0-3.6), from mothers with less than 10 teeth in at least one arch (PR 1.7, 1.2-2.5) and less than 10 in two arches (PR 1.6, 1.0-2.6), and those with high caries prevalence at the age of 5 years (PR 4.8, 3.3-7.1) were more likely to experience dental pain. Conclusions: Unrestored caries is the main factor associated with dental pain in childhood. Socioeconomic aspects and family context in which dental pain occurs should also be taken into account when dental pain preventive measures are implemented. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]