Tehran University of Medical Sciences Archives of Anesthesiology and Critical Care 2423-5849 0 0 2026 06 27 1573 1573 EN Masoumeh Soltanmohammadi Department of Psychology, Ilam Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ilam, Iran. Maryam Kazempour Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. 2026 02 14 2026 05 02 Background: The duration of anesthesia can be associated with psychological consequences, behavioral outcomes, decreased verbal IQ, emergence delirium, and learning disabilities. Methods: In this study, a total of 80 pediatric patients between the ages of 3 and 5 years were enrolled. This study was a cross-sectional study investigating the baseline fear level and behavior during anesthesia induction. The instruments used included the Venham Picture Test (VPT) and the Pediatric Anesthesia Behavior Score (PABS) questionnaire. The ethical considerations were observed in the research [IR.MEDILAM.REC.1404.203]. The data obtained from this research were entered into SPSS software, version 16, and data analysis was performed. Results: The findings showed a mean (SD) dental fear score for those who had visited a clinical psychologist was 4.76±0.94, whereas for those who had not visited a clinical psychologist, the mean (SD) score was 6.67±0.85 (P=0.000). Furthermore, among the children who had been visited by a clinical psychologist, 18 of them (22.50%) were in the “Happy” group, and none of them were in the “Angry” group. Also, a significant relationship was observed between dental fear and pediatric anesthesia behavior. Specifically, patients with higher levels of dental fear obtained lower pediatric anesthesia behavior scores. Conclusion: For improving children’s behavior during dental treatments requiring anesthesia, focusing on reducing maternal anxiety and also providing a referral to clinical psychology before treatment can be a highly effective approach. Furthermore, consistent with the findings, the child’s dental fear is a strong predictor of the manifestation of behavioral problems during anesthesia. https://aacc.tums.ac.ir/index.php/aacc/article/view/1573