Prevalence of Gagging in Children and the Association Between Gagging and Dental Fear: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Gagging is a crucial problem that is frequently experienced during dental treatments and affects the success of the treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of gagging in children and search the impact of dental fear on gagging. Material and Methods: In this study, 417 volunteer patients aged 6- 14 years who had previous dental experience and applied to our clinic for treatment were included. In order to assess fear prior to examination, patients were requested to fill a form including the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale. Then, an experienced dentist recorded the extent of gagging pursuant to the Classification of Gagging Problem index through the examination made to trigger points using the dental mirror. In the statistical evaluation, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal- Wallis, and chi-square tests were used and the results for p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: It was found that 29.5% of the participants experienced gagging. Regarding gagging, there was a significant difference between genders in favor of men, while a negative correlation was found between age groups. Gag reflex was observed in 15.7% of the patients with low dental fear, 60.2% of the patients with moderate dental fear, and 72.5% of patients with high dental fear (p<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of gagging in pediatric dentistry is high. It is seen that the level of dental fear of patients with severe and moderate gagging is higher than patients with mild and normal gagging.