Evaluation of the Correlation between Sensory Processing Abilities and Anxiety with Cooperation of Preschool Children Referred To Mashhad Dental School

Sensory processing problems can affect social, cognitive, sensorimotor development, and emotional level leading to behavioral difficulties in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sensory processing abilities and anxiety with the cooperation of preschool children in dentistry. In this cross-sectional study, 101 patients within the age range of 4-6 years (52 females and 49 males) were selected using convenience sampling. Sensory profile questionnaire was used to evaluate sensory processing problems. Moreover, children’s anxiety and cooperation during injection and drilling procedures evaluated by Venham Clinical Anxiety Scale and Venham Clinical Cooperation Scale, respectively. The data were analyzed in SPSS Software (Version.18) through the Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. According to the results, a significant relationship was observed between auditory processing and children’s anxiety with cooperation during injection and drilling procedures (P<0.05). In addition, the results showed that higher levels of oral processing were correlated with non-cooperation during drilling (P=0.008). There was also a significant relationship between children’s sensory processing related to tolerance/endurance and anxiety with cooperation during injection (P<0.05). The evaluation of oral, endurance, and auditory sensory processing abilities using the sensory profile questionnaire can be helpful in the prediction of dental anxiety and level of cooperation in children.