Correlation between anxiety in mothers and children with sensory impairments before dental treatment

Objective: Mothers have very important roles in their children’s development. Their instinctive love develops strong emotional connections with their children, especially when their children have sensory impairments (SI). Feelings experienced by mothers, such as anxiety toward dental treatment, can affect their children’s emotions. Salivary alpha amylase (sAA) has been proposed as a biomarker of stress due to its sensitivity to changes in the body, such as dental anxiety. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between sAA levels in mothers and children with SI before dental treatment. Methods: Measurement of sAA from sixty pairs of children with SI and their mothers was taken together in the waiting room before the children’s dental treatment. Spearman’s analysis was used to find the correlation between their sAA levels. Results: In this study, sAA levels in mothers accompanying their children with SI correlated significantly with their children’s sAA levels (r=0.533; p<0.002). Conclusions: The correlation between dental anxiety in mothers and children with SI before dental treatment was found to be significant. Practical Implications: Anxiety toward dental care is a phenomenon that frequently arises in children. Mothers, the main influencers of their children’s development, are thought to be one cause of high anxiety in children. Children with special needs are at a higher risk for developing dental problems. Therefore, an understanding of these children’s levels of anxiety can be used by pediatric dentists to improve dental care.