Comparative Assessment of Emotional Association with Color Preference and Anxiety Levels in Children - A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Most of the children are difficult to manage in a dental clinic as they do not cooperate during a dental procedure which may be due to emotional distress experienced by the child during the treatment. By knowing a child's color preference at a point of time, a dentist can evaluate the emotional state and identify fear hence, this study was conducted to assess and compare emotional association with color preference and anxiety levels in children. Aim of The Study. To assess and compare emotional association with color preferences and anxiety levels in children. Methodology. 600 children aged between 6-12 years, were randomly selected from the patients visiting the department of pediatrics and preventive dentistry in V.S dental college. A specially designed proforma was used to record the personal information consisting of, Humphris modified dental anxiety scale and face drawings sheet representing both emotions: Happiness and sadness. The children were provided with 8 crayons and were asked to color the emoticons with their preferred color of choice. Data collected was analyzed statistically by applying a chi-square test. Results. 70.3% (190) children of the younger age group were graded as anxious, while 29% (80) children were found to be non-anxious. 41.2% (136) of the older age group were anxious, while 58.8% of children (194) were non-anxious. 45.9% (126) boys and 41.7% (136) girls preferred yellow to shade the positive emoticon. Black was the preferred color of choice for negative emotion by 41.2% girls (134) and girls (112). Conclusion. From this study, we conclude that adding colors like yellow and pink to the dental environment could enhance a positive attitude and make the child at ease, while black, blue, red and green might impart a negative outlook in their mind.