Associations between dental anxiety, dental treatment due to toothache, and missed dental appointments among six to eight-year-old Danish children: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of missed dental appointments among Danish children at 6 to 8 years of age and to examine the association between dental anxiety, dental treatment due to toothache, and missed dental appointments in a population-based cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in four municipalities in the County of North Jutland, Denmark, and included a total of 1235 children (response rate 74.1%). Data on missed dental appointments and toothache were obtained from dental records, and data on dental anxiety from the Children's Fear Survey Schedule–Dental Subscale. Overall, 37.7% of children missed one or more dental appointments, while 17.7% missed two or more appointments. These proportions did not differ by age or gender. Among children with dental anxiety, the adjusted OR for an association with two or more missed dental appointments was 1.32 (95% CI: 0.72–2.40), and among children who had dental treatment due to toothache, the adjusted OR of two or more missed dental appointments was 2.61 (95% CI: 1.63–4.18).