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BMC Oral Health May 2023This study aimed to determine the relationship between dental anxiety and oral health in adult patients who applied to the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the...
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to determine the relationship between dental anxiety and oral health in adult patients who applied to the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry at Suleyman Demirel University.
METHODS
The study included 500 subjects. The dental anxiety levels of the patients were determined using a modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS). Information on sociodemographic details, oral hygiene and nutritional habits were recorded. Intraoral examinations of the subjects were performed. Caries prevalence of individuals was determined using the decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed, missing, or filled surfaces (DMFS) indices. Gingival health was evaluated using the gingival index (GI). Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests and Spearman correlation analysis.
RESULTS
The ages of the 276 female and 224 male participants ranged from 18-84 years. The median MDAS value was 9.00. The median DMFT and DMFS values were 10.00 and 23.00, respectively. The median MDAS values of women were higher than those of men. Individuals who postponed their appointment had a higher MDAS median value than those who did not (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05). No statistically significant correlation was found between dental anxiety level (MDAS) and GI, DMFT and DMFS index scores (Spearman correlation analysis, p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The MDAS values of individuals who did not remember the reason for their dental visit were higher than those who visited the dentist for routine control. Based on the findings of this study, further research on the relationship between dental anxiety and oral health is necessary to determine the factors that pose a risk for dental anxiety and to ensure the regular benefits of dental services.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Male; Female; Oral Health; Cross-Sectional Studies; Turkey; Dental Anxiety; Dental Caries; Dental Care; DMF Index; Prevalence
PubMed: 37231452
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03041-8 -
European Journal of Dental Education :... Nov 2019To examine the perceived importance and knowledge of the dental students' in their treatment of dental anxiety according to their year of study and to find out patients'...
AIM
To examine the perceived importance and knowledge of the dental students' in their treatment of dental anxiety according to their year of study and to find out patients' perceived importance of the dental students' knowledge of dental anxiety according to their level on dental fear.
METHODS
Dental students (N = 219) at the University of Turku and non-probability convenience sample of 100 of patients attending the Dental Teaching Clinic were given questionnaires with multiple choice and open-ended questions. Students were categorised into three groups according to the year of study (1-3, 4, 5). Patients were categorised into three groups using the established cut points for Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (no fear = 5-9, low fear = 10-18, high fear = 19-25). The differences between groups were evaluated using cross-tabulations, chi squared and Fisher's exact tests. The open-ended questions were subjected to content analysis.
RESULTS
Students' perceived importance of dental anxiety did not differ between three groups. Students with greater undergraduate education and clinical experience were more likely to have excellent or quite good knowledge (P < .001). Patients' perceived importance of dental students' knowledge of dental anxiety was greater in patients with high level of fear. The overlapping category that emerged from the open-ended question analysis was communication skills. This appeared to be important for patients with dental anxiety and for dental students in their management of dental anxiety.
CONCLUSION
Clinical communication skills should be part of dental anxiety management teaching. Dental students should be able to gain sufficient knowledge and skills in treating dental anxiety before graduating.
Topics: Clinical Competence; Communication; Dental Anxiety; Education, Dental; Humans; Students, Dental
PubMed: 31429501
DOI: 10.1111/eje.12460 -
Dental Clinics of North America Apr 2016This article highlights the commonly used medications used in dentistry and oral surgery. General dentists and specialists must be knowledgeable about the pharmacology... (Review)
Review
This article highlights the commonly used medications used in dentistry and oral surgery. General dentists and specialists must be knowledgeable about the pharmacology of the drugs currently available along with their risks and benefits. Enteral sedation is a useful adjunct for the treatment of anxious adult and pediatric patients. When enteral sedation is used within the standards of care, the interests of the public and the dental profession are served through a cost-effective, effective service that can be widely available. Oral sedation enables dentists to provide dental care to millions of individuals who otherwise would have unmet dental needs.
Topics: Anesthesia, Dental; Conscious Sedation; Dental Anxiety; Dental Care; Dental Offices; Humans
PubMed: 27040287
DOI: 10.1016/j.cden.2015.11.002 -
BMC Oral Health Nov 2021The objectives of the study were to describe the prevalence of dental anxiety and the possible associations between dental anxiety and potentially traumatic events in an...
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of the study were to describe the prevalence of dental anxiety and the possible associations between dental anxiety and potentially traumatic events in an adult population.
METHOD
The study is based on cross-sectional questionnaire data from the 7th wave of the Tromsø Study, a study of the adult general population in the municipality of Tromsø carried out in 2015-2016. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale was used to measure dental anxiety across potentially traumatic events, oral health, dental attendance (avoidance) and current mental health symptoms (Hopkins Symptom Checklist). Individuals with high and low dental anxiety scores were compared to investigate differences in the distribution of potentially traumatic events, current mental health symptoms, avoidance, sex and oral health, and hierarchical multivariable regression was used to study the influence of traumatic events on dental anxiety.
RESULTS
High dental anxiety was reported by 2.9% of the sample and was most prevalent among females and in the youngest age groups. Individuals with high dental anxiety reported more current mental health symptoms, and they were more likely to report poorer oral health and more irregular dental visits compared to individuals with no or lower dental anxiety scores. Concerning traumatic events, the reporting of painful or frightening dental treatment showed the biggest difference between those with high dental anxiety and low dental anxiety scores (a moderate effect). The hierarchical regression model indicated that reporting sexual abuse, traumatic medical treatment in hospital and childhood neglect significantly predicted dental anxiety in the step they were entered in, but only sexual abuse remained a significant individual contributor after controlling for current mental health symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of high dental anxiety was lower than expected (2.9%), but dentally anxious individuals expressed a high burden of mental health symptoms, poor oral health and the avoidance of dental care. The regression analysis indicated that experiences with sexual abuse could affect dental anxiety levels in the absence of generalised symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Anxiety; Depression; Female; Humans; Mental Disorders; Oral Health; Prevalence
PubMed: 34814891
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-021-01968-4 -
European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry Dec 2016If your young patient doesn't feel comfortable and thinks something dreadful is going to happen when he comes to your office, maybe he will develop dental fear....
If your young patient doesn't feel comfortable and thinks something dreadful is going to happen when he comes to your office, maybe he will develop dental fear. Nowadays, children and teenagers' strong negative emotions related to dental treatment are defined as "Dental Fear and Anxiety" (DFA). Since DFA can result in children's avoidance or delay in undergoing dental visits, this problem represents a relevant social barrier as important as other well-known factors like low family income or parental education. Luckily the Italian Ministry of Health is implementing a programme to quantify the importance of the phenomenon. The project "No more dental fear" was created by the Umbria region and Prof. S. Cianetti (University of Perugia, Italy), with the important collaboration of Abruzzo and Lombardy region. Approval of the project by the National centre for prevention and disease control (CCM) in 2015 underscores the importance of this topic. The project consists in the systematic assessment - at national level - of different psychometric scales on children's dental fear, psychological or pharmacological techniques for the management of fear, and mini-invasive methods of prevention/treatment of dental caries. The aim is to first develop an integrated protocol, and secondly to propose a standardised model in order to quantify dental fear and anxiety on the whole Italian territory. Lately, the attention toward young patients is highly improved and this can be seen in the increasing rate of children's first visits. However, the steady percentage of children and teenagers that do not see the dentist because of DFA should not be overlooked, since future treatments may be more challenging. British researchers have already highlighted this problem and it would be productive to cooperate with other European countries.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Dental Anxiety; Female; Humans; Italy; Male
PubMed: 28045311
DOI: No ID Found -
Brazilian Oral Research 2022There is a lack of evidence on the correlation between salivary biomarkers and subjective measures of dental fear and anxiety in children. This systematic review aimed...
There is a lack of evidence on the correlation between salivary biomarkers and subjective measures of dental fear and anxiety in children. This systematic review aimed to retrieve the scientific evidence comparing the results of dental anxiety measured by salivary biomarkers with patient-reported outcomes in pediatric dental setting. The PECOS was as follows: population: pediatric patients aged ≤ 18 years; exposure: patient-reported outcome measures, such as scales and/or questionnaires; comparator: salivary biomarkers; outcome: anxiety, fear, phobia or stress during dental treatment; study design: observational studies or controlled trials. Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Ovid databases. Studies that compared scales/questionnaires and salivary biomarkers for the evaluation of dental anxiety, fear, and stress in children/adolescents during dental treatment were included. Certainty of evidence was assessed with GRADE. Risk of bias of the included studies was assessed with the Cochrane tool or the University of Adelaide tool. From the 314 studies identified, eight were included. Participants' age ranged from three to 13 years. The most used salivary biomarkers and instruments were cortisol and the Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule, respectively. Most studies showed a weak correlation between objective and subjective measures. The main issues regarding bias were on allocation concealment, blinding of assessors, follow up, and exposure assessment. Certainty of evidence was low/very low. Evidence of salivary biomarkers and patient-reported outcome measures to investigate anxiety, fear and stress in children during in the dental environment is limited. There was no correlation between subjective and objective measures in almost all included studies.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Humans; Child, Preschool; Dental Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36507754
DOI: 10.1590/1807-3107bor-2022.vol36.0067 -
Community Dentistry and Oral... Jun 2020To test a theoretical mediation model and investigate whether drug use and/or dental anxiety act as mediating factors between depression and dental decay experience...
OBJECTIVE
To test a theoretical mediation model and investigate whether drug use and/or dental anxiety act as mediating factors between depression and dental decay experience among prisoners.
METHOD
A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 300 prisoners across three prison establishments in Scotland. Depression and dental anxiety were measured using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, respectively. Drug use was assessed using three yes (scoring 1)/ no (scoring 0) questions: 'ever taken (illegal) drugs', 'injecting drugs' and 'ever participated in a rehabilitation programme'. Participants had an oral examination to determine dental caries experience (missing [MT] and untreated decay [D T]) in all four quadrants. Latent variable path analysis was conducted to test the mediation model.
RESULTS
A total of 342 prisoners participated, of which 298 yielded a complete data set. Depression was associated with missing teeth and untreated decay (D T) through an indirect pathway (Total standardized indirect effects = 0.11, P < .01) via drug use and dental anxiety (X [71] = 89.8, P = .07; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation: 0.03; Comparative Fit Index: 0.994 and Tucker-Lewis index: 0.992). Twenty-two percent of the variance in untreated decay and missing teeth was explained by both drug use and dental anxiety; however, the strongest predictor was drug use (total standardized direct effects = 0.45, P < .001).
CONCLUSION
A relatively simple model to assist understanding dental decay experience of people in prison has been proposed. The data collected were consistent with our specified model. Drug use acted as the primary mediator and dental anxiety as a secondary mediator between depression and dental decay experience. Given the co-morbidity between mental health and drug use and dental decay experience, an integrated or shared approach is proposed. We recommend that future research should concentrate on building a firmer picture by replicating and extending the framework presented.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Anxiety; Dental Caries; Depression; Humans; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Prisons; Scotland
PubMed: 32043284
DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.12522 -
European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry Sep 2022To synthesise knowledge on the relative efficacies of non-pharmacological strategies for managing dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in children and adolescents, specifically...
AIM
To synthesise knowledge on the relative efficacies of non-pharmacological strategies for managing dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in children and adolescents, specifically their effects on behaviour, anxiety levels and pain perception.
METHODS
An umbrella review on non-pharmacological strategies used to manage DFA in children and adolescents was conducted based the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Searches were performed in 5 main electronic databases and the grey-literature. Two independent reviewers selected and appraised the included studies using the AMSTAR2 tool. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer.
CONCLUSION
Audio-visual distraction was effective in reducing anxiety during a variety of dental procedures including those requiring local anaesthesia. A combination of techniques may be more effective in managing DFA in children and adolescents, possibly improving pain perception and cooperative behaviour.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Dental Anxiety; Humans
PubMed: 36172904
DOI: 10.23804/ejpd.2022.23.03.11 -
Community Dentistry and Oral... Dec 2020To assess the association between dental anxiety and caries experience from late childhood through adolescence and into early adulthood (12, 15 and 18 years old,...
OBJECTIVE
To assess the association between dental anxiety and caries experience from late childhood through adolescence and into early adulthood (12, 15 and 18 years old, respectively).
METHODS
A prospective cohort study was conducted among a population-representative sample of Chinese in Hong Kong. A baseline survey was conducted at age 12 and follow-up assessments were completed at ages 15 and 18. Caries experience was assessed as the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT). Dental anxiety was assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Participants' socio-economic status and oral health-related behaviours were ascertained using a self-complete questionnaire. Negative binomial regression was used to explore the association between dental anxiety and subsequent caries status, controlling for other factors.
RESULTS
At baseline, 668 children participated; 279 (41.8%, comprising 57.0% females) completed all three phases of data collection. MDAS scores at age 18 were lower than at age 12. Caries experience increased as participants aged. At age 15 and 18, females had higher MDAS and DMFT scores than males. Reported frequency of snacking between meals was associated with MDAS scores at age 18. In regression analyses, dental anxiety at age 12 was not significantly associated with dental caries experience at age 15, controlling for socio-demographic and oral-health behaviour factors at age 12. Likewise, dental anxiety at age 15 was not significantly associated with dental caries experience at age 18, controlling for the same factors at age 15.
CONCLUSION
Dental anxiety assessed by MDAS in late childhood and adolescence appears not to predict dental caries experience later in life in this population.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; DMF Index; Dental Anxiety; Dental Caries; Dental Caries Susceptibility; Female; Hong Kong; Humans; Male; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 32683779
DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.12563 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2020The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to investigate the fear level of kindergarten children in the general population during dental outreach in a familiar...
The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to investigate the fear level of kindergarten children in the general population during dental outreach in a familiar kindergarten setting, and to explore the factors associated with the dental fear of kindergarten children. Consecutive sampling method was used to select kindergarten children aged 3 to 5 to participate in a questionnaire survey and an outreach service. A behavioural observation type of instrument for dental fear and anxiety assessment-Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale (FBRS)-was chosen to investigate the fear level of the children. Bivariate analyses between various factors and children's dental fear and anxiety were carried out using Chi-square test. A total of 498 children participated in this study. Almost half (46%) of the children have had caries experience, and the mean dmft score was 2.1 ± 3.4. The prevalence of dental caries was 32%, 43%, and 64% in the 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, respectively. Only 4% of the children scored negatively for dental fear and anxiety (95% CI 2.3%-5.7%). Children at three years of age displayed more dental fear and anxiety than children of older ages, but the difference in dental fear and anxiety among the genders and caries status was not statistically significant. Most of the children (92%) brushed daily, but only 20% of them used toothpaste. Most (85%) of them had never visited the dentist, and over 70% of them were mainly taken care by their parents. High levels of positive and cooperative behaviour and low levels of fear were found in this population. No statistical significance was found between the child's dental fear and any factors except age. Children generally displayed low fear or anxiety levels in a dental outreach consisting of a non-invasive oral examination and preventive treatment in a familiar kindergarten setting. Conducting regular outreach dental services to kindergartens by providing oral examination and simple remineralisation therapies could be a promising strategy to not only control childhood caries, but also manage and reduce dental fear and encourage long term dental attendance in line with the medical model.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Anxiety; Dental Caries; Female; Hong Kong; Humans; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32325972
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082827