Abstract

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.