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This study of the relationship between dental anxiety and psychological and behavioral variables suggests that the most important factor in explaining the variance in children's perceived dental anxiety is their level of general anxiety. The negative relationship found among the frequency of dental visits, deciduous diseased, missing, and filled teeth (dmft), and dental anxiety implies that dental anxiety does not develop through simple exposure to dental settings. Perceived locus of control and perceived health vulnerability did not appear to be associated in any significant way with dental anxiety. The results indicate that dental anxiety may reflect a more general class of anxiety behaviors, rather than fears learned in response to a specific situation.

Studies using plaster models of teeth and photographs simulating the full range of occlusal conditions have found high agreement between measures of adolescent social acceptability of these conditions and perceived need for orthodontic treatment. This study examined the association between adolescents' acceptability of their own occlusal condition, severity of malocclusion, and likelihood of undergoing orthodontic treatment. The factors predicting the acceptability of occlusal condition of 13-yr-olds, as assessed by the SASOC scale, were measurements of acceptability of general physical appearance, and the severity of occlusal condition. Variability in SASOC scores appeared to be independent of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Gender, and severity of occlusal condition were important differences between subjects who had received, planned, or were undergoing orthodontic treatment, and those who had not. Neither SASOC scores nor perceived need for treatment accounted for a significant proportion of the variance between these groups. Although adolescents seeking orthodontic treatment had a greater severity of malocclusion than those not, little difference was observed between these groups in acceptance of occlusal condition.

Music is an effective and inexpensive means of reducing anxiety in friends and family of patients, who are underresearched in medicine. Moreover, low educational attainment and tendency to respond positively to music in a group setting can predict the effectiveness of music-induced relaxation.

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