Are there differences in oral health and oral health behavior between individuals with high and low dental fear?

Abstract

Epidemiological studies of the relationship between dental fear, use of dental services, and oral health in different age groups in a common population are scarce. Dental fear and its relationships are usually described in individuals with high dental fear only. The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of dental fear in the Norwegian adult population according to age, and to explore differences in oral health, oral hygiene, and visiting habits between individuals with high and low dental fear. For the present study, data from the Trøndelag-94 study were used. The prevalence of dental fear in our study population of adults in Trøndelag, Norway was 6.6%. There was a tendency for individuals with high dental fear to engage in avoidance behavior more frequently than the low dental fear group. Individuals with high dental fear had a statistically significantly higher number of decayed surfaces (DS), decayed teeth, (DT) and missing teeth (MT) but a statistically significantly lower number of filled surfaces (FS), filled teeth (FT), functional surfaces (FSS), and functional teeth (FST). There were no differences in DMFS and DMFT between the groups of high and low dental fear. Since one of the superior aims of the dental profession is to help a patient to achieve a high number of functional teeth throughout life, consequently detecting and treating dental fear should therefore be an important aspect of dental processionals' work.

Prevalence of and factors associated with dental anxiety among medical and dental students of the Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, North-West Russia

“…In addition, less frequent tooth-brushing was associated with a higher DAS score, which was also reported in previous studies of undergraduate students [19]. In agreement with prior studies [10], our study did not support the hypothesis that students who avoid dental visits develop good oral health habits on their own. Nevertheless, we did not find any differences in DA based on high-risk behaviours like skipping tooth-brushing or using toothpaste without fluoride.…”

“…The prevalence of high DA varies from 2% to 30% worldwide depending on the study population, the methods applied, and the cut-off scores used [1,8]. There is strong evidence that DA is associated with dental attendance; it has been reported that individuals with higher DA tend to visit the dentist irregularly [9,10], which in turn may lead to a deterioration in oral health. Studies have demonstrated that DA is associated with poor self-reported [8,9] and clinically assigned [11,12] oral health, more decayed and missing teeth [10,11], fewer filled teeth [10,12] and worse periodontal health [13].…”

“…There is strong evidence that DA is associated with dental attendance; it has been reported that individuals with higher DA tend to visit the dentist irregularly [9,10], which in turn may lead to a deterioration in oral health. Studies have demonstrated that DA is associated with poor self-reported [8,9] and clinically assigned [11,12] oral health, more decayed and missing teeth [10,11], fewer filled teeth [10,12] and worse periodontal health [13]. In addition, DA has been related to poor self-reported general health [8], psychological disorders [14], particular temperamental or psychological traits [7] and lower education [8,12].…”

“…Several reports showed that younger individuals are more likely to experience DA than middle-aged and elderly adults [10,12]. Many studies have focused on DA in young university students [15–26].…”

Accessing dental anxiety online support groups: An exploratory qualitative study of motives and experiences

“…The literature suggests that dental anxiety and phobia may have a significant impact on patients' lives. Firstly, it often leads to avoidance of the stimuli (the dental context), which can have a deleterious effect on oral health 5 .…”