Introduction:

Dental fear is an emotional reaction occurring in children with a special connotation. It may influence the behavior of child patients during consultation and affect the effectiveness of treatment. Addressing its characteristics and its various forms of manifestation is important to gain insight into this psychological phenomenon and devise future strategies.

Objective:

Characterize dental fear among Mexican schoolchildren.

Methods:

A cross-sectional observational descriptive study was conducted of 163 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years from a school in Monterrey, Mexico, from February to May 2017. The Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule was applied to determine fear levels. The variables analyzed in the study were sex, age and fear levels. Analysis of statistical data was performed with the software SPSS version 19.0.

Results:

The scale components moderate fear (45.4 %) and fear of suffocation (52.1 %) stood out among the results obtained. Injections and being touched by a stranger were the items most commonly related to great fear, with 42.7 % and 47.9 %, respectively. The great fear category was present only at 8 and 11 years of age, with 15.3 % and 9.3 %, respectively, and in the female sex with 48.4 %.

Conclusions:

Dental fear is moderate among Mexican schoolchildren, with a prevalence of fear of suffocation during dental care. Early school ages and a predominance of the female sex were the features most commonly related to this psychological phenomenon.

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