Table 1. Data extraction table for included studies.
| Reference | Context | N | Age | Child measure | duration | Age differences | Relation between Complexity of treatment and behavior | Previous calibration of raters/ assessment of inter rater reliability | Key findings | ||
| during treatment | after treatment | short | long | ||||||||
| Davidovich 20138 |
Restorative treatment under conscious sedation with oral premedication. |
90 | 2‒5.5 | Behavior during treatment was rated as negative (1-3) or positive (4-6), according to Houpt’s scale. | Behavior was ranked as negative when one or more of the following manifestations were observed: crying; aggression; disruptive behavior; temper tantrum; agitation; jerking of the arms and legs; or otherwise, as positive behavior. | 15‒30 min | 30‒60 min | No | No | Yes |
Behavior during treatment was associated with treatment duration for both the younger (P<0.001) and older (P<0.04) children. In the younger group, behavior immediately after treatment was significantly correlated to treatment duration (P<0.001). In the older group, no significant correlation was found between treatment duration and behavior after treatment (P=0.55). |
|
Getz 19817 |
restorative treatment for all participants | 36 | 3‒5 | Self-developed scale according to Glennon and Weisz’ Preschool Observation Scale of Anxiety | <5 min | 5‒10 min | NA | NA | Yes |
Length of each phase was found to be significantly related to fear/distress-related behaviors. No relationship was found between child behavior and length of total appointment |
|
|
Aminabadi 20094 |
preventive resin restoration, prophylaxis, and fluoride therapy for all participants |
450 | 3‒9 | behavior at the end of each treatment period using the sound, eye, and motor (SEM) scale | Yes | NA | Yes | A significant main effect of treatment duration (P<0.001) and age (P<0.001) on behavior. | |||
|
Lenchner 19665 |
Restoration in short appointments Pulpotomy and restoration, space maintainer and extraction in long appointments Both type of treatment were provided for all participants |
40 |
3‒6 and 6‒12 |
dentist’s rating of children’s behavior | Parent’s rating of children’s behavior | <30 min | >45 min | No | NA | - | No difference in children’s behavior between long and short appointments |