The emotional development of a child is the progressive process of the
child’s ability to control their feelings. The emotions of the child are expressed through
facial expressions. Emotions in a child are influenced by their inborn temperament
depending on the inherited genes. Crying, laughing, anger, fear, anxiety, or phobia
represent different types of emotions. The impact of dental anxiety and fear often leads
to avoidance or delay of dental treatment. Moreover, such individuals are difficult to
treat and have behavioral problems further resulting in an unpleasant dental experience.
All these factors lead to worsening oral health, which often requires complicated dental
procedures. Hence, it becomes difficult for the patient to get out of this vicious cycle.
Management of such patients is critical and requires careful handling and assessment.
Various behaviour management techniques and advanced specialist care in the dental
setting can assist fearful patients in attaining optimum oral health and significant
overall improvement towards dentistry.
Keywords: Anxiety, Assessment Scale, Emotion, Fear.
