PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION OF CHILDREN DURING DENTAL SURGICAL APPOINTMENTS

Abstract

The work is devoted to the development of an algorithm for the psychological preparation of a child for treatment at a dental surgical appointment. The study involved 50 children aged 5 to 11 years. Three groups of pathology were identified, the most frequently encountered in pediatric surgical outpatient visits: physiological change of teeth, exacerbation of chronic periodontitis of primary teeth (urgent care), short frenulum of the upper lip (planned intervention). The Frankl rating scale was used to identify the child's anxiety level.
Throughout the study, a direct dependence was revealed on the presence of pain before going to the doctor and on the primary psychological preparation carried out by parents and dentists of related specialties. Thus, the highest degree of anxiety was manifested in the group of children with exacerbation of chronic periodontitis of primary teeth: negative behavior in 19% of patients, negative in 50%, positive and absolutely positive behavior in only 25% and 6%, respectively.
As the work progressed, recommendations were formed to ensure adequate adaptation of children at the initial surgical dental appointment, which helps to improve the psychological and general condition of the child and improve the perception of treatment by a dentist in the future.