ABSTRACT

Background: Positive environmental stimulation can reduce a child's anxiety or negative feelings. If appropriate visual colors can provide positive stimulation, then children will feel more comfortable, permitting a quicker recovery. If the color of the dental environment can have a positive impact on the child’s behavior, it is possible that those colors may add to the comfort of a child, thus reducing dental anxiety. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, preferences and perception of parents towards the importance of a colourful and child-friendly dental setup. Materials and methods: An online-based survey was conducted in which a questionnaire was prepared online and circulated among the parents visiting the dental college with their children. The responses were recorded and tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis for association of responses for gender and educational status by Chi-square test. Results: The findings of this study shows that 93% of the parents preferred a colorful waiting area, 88% of the parents preferred a play area for children, 94% preferred cartoons being played in the waiting area, 91% preferred a positive body language and appearance of the receptionist and 97% preferred the same for the dentist. Females preferred playing cartoons to distract anxious children, while males denied it, which was statistically significant (p=0.009). Undergraduate and postgraduate parents were confident about the appearance of the dentist in building the child’s trust, which was not statistically significant (p=0.213). Conclusion: Within the limitations of the present study parents preferred play area, cartoons and positive appearance of the dental team in a child friendly dental clinic. The results of this study will further encourage pediatric dentists to imply positive and innovative ideas when opening a pediatric dental clinic. Keywords: Anxiety; children; colour; environment; music
Publication date: 01/08/2021

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2021/August/MS_IJBPAS_2021_AUG_SPCL_1007.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2021/10.8.1007