Tehran University of Medical Sciences Archives of Anesthesiology and Critical Care 2423-5849 0 0 2026 06 01 1565 1565 Masoumeh Soltanmohammadi Department of Psychology, Ilam Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ilam, Iran. Maryam Kazempour Department of Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. 2026 02 05 2026 05 02 Background: Local anesthetic solutions are routinely prescribed in dental procedures to mitigate pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological functioning in pediatric patients referred for dental services during the administration of local anesthesia. Methods: The study population comprised pediatric patients referred for dental services who required general anesthesia. Following previous studies, a total of 110 children attending private dental offices were recruited for this investigation. The instruments used included the CFSS-DS questionnaire, MCDAS questionnaire, PASS-20, and VAS tool. Ethical considerations for this research included obtaining the Ethics Code Number [IR.MEDILAM.REC.1404.203], and data analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 18, utilizing appropriate statistical analyses. Results: Of the sample under investigation, 23.6% were in the 10-year-old age group, and the gender distribution leaned towards males with a frequency of 51.8%. The mean scores (standard deviation) obtained were 41.93±12.37 for the CFSS-DS, 24.18±6.34 for the MCDAS, and 53.6±13.4 for the PASS. Regression analysis indicated that gender had a significant relationship with CFSS-DS and MCDAS scores (p<0.05), but no association was observed with the PASS score (p=0.76). Furthermore, the Chi-square (χ2) test confirmed a statistically significant relationship between all assessment tools (CFSS-DS, MCDAS, PASS) and the variables under examination, including age, history of dental treatment, and history of hospitalization (p<0.05). Conclusion: Considering the prevalence and adverse psychological consequences arising from the delivery of dental services in the pediatric population, including the manifestation of fear, anxiety, and pain anxiety symptoms, the implementation of targeted preventive interventions and supportive strategies in this domain is strongly recommended. https://aacc.tums.ac.ir/index.php/aacc/article/view/1565