The aims of the study were to describe the level of dental anxiety in a representative sample of an adult population, to evaluate different demographic variables in relation to dental anxiety, and to compare two measurement scales of dental anxiety. A random sample of residents (n = 830) of the city of Gothenburg (population 432,000) was selected for a telephone survey. The survey comprised different questions concerning demographic variables, dental care habits, and the level of dental anxiety. The methods of measurement of dental anxiety were a 10-point dental Fear Scale (FS) and the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). A total of 620 interviews were completed giving a response rate of 74.7%. 41.4% of the respondents were males, 58.6% females. Females were significantly more likely to report a high dental anxiety compared with males. The prevalence of high dental anxiety in the sample as measured by the FS and DAS was 6.7% and 5.4% respectively. The correlation between the FS and DAS was 0.81. The distribution of high dental anxiety and age showed a clearly and significantly higher portion of dental anxiety in the age group 20-39 yr compared to both younger and older groups. The effect of dental anxiety on regularity of dental visits revealed a significant difference as measured by the FS. No significant correlation was found between dental anxiety and educational level or income. A majority of the respondents (82-95%) expressed a desire for establishment of a special dental fear treatment clinic without need for referral.

The aim of this systematic review was to appraise the diagnostic accuracy of signs/symptoms and tests used to determine the condition of the pulp in teeth affected by deep caries, trauma or other types of injury. Radiographic methods were not included. The electronic literature search included the databases PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Reviews from January 1950 to June 2011. The complete search strategy is given in an Appendix S1 (available online as Supporting Information). In addition, hand searches were made. Two reviewers independently assessed abstracts and full-text articles. An article was read in full text if at least one of the two reviewers considered an abstract to be potentially relevant. Altogether, 155 articles were read in full text. Of these, 18 studies fulfilled pre-specified inclusion criteria. The quality of included articles was assessed using the QUADAS tool. Based on studies of high or moderate quality, the quality of evidence of each diagnostic method/test was rated in four levels according to GRADE. No study reached high quality; two were of moderate quality. The overall evidence was insufficient to assess the value of toothache or abnormal reaction to heat/cold stimulation for determining the pulp condition. The same applies to methods for establishing pulp status, including electric or thermal pulp testing, or methods for measuring pulpal blood circulation. In general, there are major shortcomings in the design, conduct and reporting of studies in this domain of dental research.

BackgroundDental anxiety (DA) is a common condition associated with avoidance of dental care and subsequent health-related and psychosocial outcomes, in what has been described as the vicious circle of DA. Also, recent studies have found an association between the psychosocial concept of sense of coherence (SOC) and DA. More studies are needed to verify the relationship between DA and SOC, especially using population-based samples. There is also a need for studies including factors related to the vicious circle of DA, such as oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), in order to further establish the correlates of DA in the general population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between DA and SOC, OHRQoL and health-related behaviour in the general Swedish population.MethodsThe survey included a randomly selected sample of the adult Swedish population (N = 3500, age 19 – 96 years.). Data was collected by means of telephone interviews. Dental anxiety was measured with a single question. The SOC measure consisted of three questions conceptualising the dimensions of the SOC: comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. The data collection also included the five-item version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-5), as a measure of OHRQoL, as well as questions on oral health-related behaviour and socioeconomic status. Statistical analyses were made with descriptive statistics and inference testing using Chi-square, t – test and logistic regression.ResultsHigh DA was associated with low OHRQoL, irregular dental care and smoking. There was a statistically significant relationship between the SOC and DA in the bivariate, but not in the multivariate, analyses. Dental anxiety was not associated with oral health-related behaviour or socioeconomic status.ConclusionsThis cross-sectional national survey gives support to the significant associations between high dental anxiety, avoidance of dental care and health-related outcomes, which may further reinforce the model of a vicious circle of dental anxiety. The results further indicate a weak relationship between dental anxiety and sense of coherence.

BackgroundIn western Sweden, the aim was to study the associations between oral health variables and total and central adiposity, respectively, and to investigate the influence of socio-economic factors (SES), lifestyle, dental anxiety and co-morbidity.MethodsThe subjects constituted a randomised sample from the 1992 data collection in the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden (n = 999, 38- > =78 yrs). The study comprised a clinical and radiographic examination, together with a self-administered questionnaire. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) > =30 kg/m2, waist-hip ratio (WHR) > =0.80, and waist circumference >0.88 m. Associations were estimated using logistic regression including adjustments for possible confounders.ResultsThe mean BMI value was 25.96 kg/m2, the mean WHR 0.83, and the mean waist circumference 0.83 m. The number of teeth, the number of restored teeth, xerostomia, dental visiting habits and self-perceived health were associated with both total and central adiposity, independent of age and SES. For instance, there were statistically significant associations between a small number of teeth (<20) and obesity: BMI (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.40-2.73), WHR (1.67; 1.28-2.19) and waist circumference (1.94; 1.47-2.55), respectively. The number of carious lesions and masticatory function showed no associations with obesity. The obesity measure was of significance, particularly with regard to behaviour, such as irregular dental visits, with a greater risk associated with BMI (1.83; 1.23-2.71) and waist circumference (1.96; 1.39-2.75), but not with WHR (1.29; 0.90-1.85).ConclusionsAssociations were found between oral health and obesity. The choice of obesity measure in oral health studies should be carefully considered.