Consideration of childhood psychological factors at dental appointment

Abstract

Paediatric dentistry is a special field of dental practice. The scope of professional activities within this field covers not only high level of expertise and technical skills tailored to the needs of young patients, but requires searching and creating positive psychological environment and communicative management of each child in order to improve daily service methods, to deliver quality dental care as well as to foster a positive attitude to medical professionals and medical settings that can contribute much to the early detection and prevention of orofacial problems. The psychological growth and development is a complex process of the development and maturation of mental functions of a person that occurs under the influence of a number of factors including hereditary, biological and special impacts (education, social environment, etc) [1,2,3,4]. Through the life of children, their state of mind is continually developing and this process is far from always being even; quite the contrary: periods of slow, gradual maturation alternate periods of the rapid saltatory development. Each age period is characterized by a set of anatomical, physiological and psychological characteristics of the child, the emergence of new social needs and a particular nature of his or her relationship with the surrounding world.