ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the profile of children from 6 to 12 years of age, in relation to anxiety towards dental treatment and evaluate the main factors that trigger anxiety in this population. Methods: The sample was composed of 200 children with an average age of 8.5 years who attended the Clinic of the School of Dentistry of the Federal University of Campina Grande and the Basic Healthcare Units of the municipality of Patos, Paraíba, Brazil between June 2015 and May 2016. Anxiety was assessed using the Dental Anxiety Scale and the Venham Picture Test. The Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to explore the level of significance of the associations between the variables Results: Anxiety was observed in the majority of children (Dental Anxiety Scale - 89% and Venham Picture Test - 70.5%) and the predominant levels were low to moderate. The child´s age group was significantly associated with anxiety (p=0.014) by the Venham Picture Test, while gender did not present this correlation. Anxiety was influenced by all the factors studied: making the appointment, waiting room, rotary instrument and periodontal scaling. Conclusion: The majority of children presented anxiety and the trigger factors: making the appointment, waiting room, rotary instrument and periodontal scaling contributed considerably to its development.