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. 2020 Jul 3;7(7):73.
doi: 10.3390/children7070073.

Children's Drawing as a Projective Measure to Understand Their Experiences of Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia

Ziad D Baghdadi  1 , Saffana Jbara  1 , Nazeem Muhajarine  2
Affiliations

Children's Drawing as a Projective Measure to Understand Their Experiences of Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia

Ziad D Baghdadi et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Purpose: The overall aim of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of 3 to 10 year-old children's experiences, main concerns, and how they manage attending hospital for dental treatment under general anesthesia (DTGA).

Methods: Twelve children aged 3-10 who were scheduled for DTGA were interviewed. In addition to tape-recorded interviews, data were collected using video diaries, participant observations, and pre-, peri-, and postoperative drawings. The children's drawings (n = 43) were analyzed using the Child Drawing: Hospital Manual (CD:H) and Vygotsky postulations for context readings, with the aim to explore what it means for children to undergo DTGA.

Results: The analysis found that the main concern for children during the pre-operative period was that they were forced to prepare for an unknown experience, which elicited stress. This situation was handled during the peri-operative period by trying to recover control and to cooperate despite fear, stress, and anxiety. Drawings completed post-operatively showed the surgical mask, "stinky" smell of the anesthetic gas, and multiple extraction of teeth were the main troubling experiences for children. Several weeks after DTGA, children tried to regain normalcy in their lives again.

Conclusion: This study contributed to a deeper understanding of how children as young as 3 years undergoing DTGA experience and express their lived experiences: emotional, psychological, physiological, or physical stress in the context of DTGA.

Keywords: art; child; dental care; general anesthesia; oral health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Child 1 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Child 1 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Child 1 Drawing 2 (post-op).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Child 1 Drawing 3 (post-op).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Child 1 Drawing 4 (post-op).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Child 2 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Child 2 Drawing 2 (pre-op).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Child 2 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Child 2 Drawing 2 (post-op).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Child 3 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 11
Figure 11
Child 3 Drawing 2 (pre-op).
Figure 12
Figure 12
Child 3 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 13
Figure 13
Child 4 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 14
Figure 14
Child 4 Drawing 2 (pre-op).
Figure 15
Figure 15
Child 4 Drawing 3 (pre-op).
Figure 16
Figure 16
Child 4 Drawing 4 (pre-op).
Figure 17
Figure 17
Child 4- Drawing 5 (pre-op).
Figure 18
Figure 18
Child 5 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 19
Figure 19
Child 5 Drawing 2 (pre-op).
Figure 20
Figure 20
Child 5 Drawing 3 (pre-op).
Figure 21
Figure 21
Child 5 Drawing 4 (pre-op).
Figure 22
Figure 22
Child 5 Drawing 1 (peri-op).
Figure 23
Figure 23
Child 5 Drawing 2 (peri-op).
Figure 24
Figure 24
Child 5 post-operative drawing.
Figure 25
Figure 25
Child 5 post-operative drawing.
Figure 26
Figure 26
Child 5 Drawing 3 (post-op).
Figure 27
Figure 27
Child 5 Drawing 4 (post-op).
Figure 28
Figure 28
Child 5 Drawing 5 (post-op).
Figure 29
Figure 29
Child 5 Drawing 6 (post-op).
Figure 30
Figure 30
Child 5 Drawing 7 (post-op).
Figure 31
Figure 31
Child 7 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 32
Figure 32
Child 7 Drawing 2 (pre-op).
Figure 33
Figure 33
Child 5 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 34
Figure 34
Child 5 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 35
Figure 35
Child 8 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 36
Figure 36
Child 8 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 37
Figure 37
Child 9 Drawing 1 (pre-op).
Figure 38
Figure 38
Child 9 Drawing 2 (pre-op).
Figure 39
Figure 39
Child 9 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 40
Figure 40
Child 9 Drawing 2 (post-op).
Figure 41
Figure 41
Child 9 Drawing 3 (post-op).
Figure 42
Figure 42
Child 10 Drawing 1 (post-op).
Figure 43
Figure 43
Child 12 Drawing 1 (post-op).
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