Children's electronic screen time exposure and its relationship to dental anxiety and behavior

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between electronic screen time and dental anxiety and behaviour among children aged six to twelve years during dental examination, prophylaxis, and topical fluoride application.Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study which included 402 paediatric dental patients aged six to twelve years who came to King Abdulaziz University Dental Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data was collected from September 2020 to December 2021. Self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect data from the patient and his/her guardian. It was comprised of eight demographic questions as well as 13 multiple-choice ques-tions regarding the patients' screen time. Child dental anx-iety was assessed by using Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale (ACDAS). Assessment of child's behaviour was done by using Frankl Behavioural Rating Scale.Results: This study had a response rate of 100%. Out of the 402 participants, 248 (61.7%) were found to have anxiety while 154 (38.3%) were not. Of all participants 274 (68.2%) were cooperative and 128 (31.8%) were not. A Significant relationship between anxiety and behav-ioural problems during a dental visit and the participant's total exposure hours to electronic devices was found (p < 0.001). Children exposed to electronics at the age of two years or before displayed more anxiety and unco-operative behaviour (p < 0.001).Conclusions: early exposure to electronic screens, espe-cially for entertainment purposes and longer exposure can be associated with increased dental anxiety and un-cooperative behaviour in children age 6-12 years.