A fearful child attends: a psychoanalytic explanation of children's responses to dental treatment

BACKGROUND: At the mention of dental treatment some children become overwhelmed by anxiety whereas others appear to take the news in their stride. Sometimes when anxious children attend dental treatment, they appear to cope, contain their fears, and passively submit to treatment, whereas others angrily refuse to open their mouths and a third group of children exist who seem to just 'tough it out' no matter how disagreeable or frightening dental treatment becomes. The question remains: why do children react so differently to dental treatment? AIM: This paper aims to provide a psychoanalytic explanation as to why children react and respond differently to dental treatment. RESULTS: This paper proposes a psychoanalytic formulation based on the functionality of the family, parent-child dyads, child psychological development, and the child's emotional and actual life experiences. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to understand the dynamic nature of child dental anxiety and to appreciate the hidden factors and underlying complexities associated with the anxious child who attends for dental treatment.