Dental fear and previous childhood traumatic experiences, life events, and parental bonding

Abstract

We aimed to determine whether adult dental fear is associated with traumas, life events, and perceived parental bonding. Pilot data for the FinnBrain Cohort study were used. Of the 254 families expecting a baby, 80% agreed to participate. At 32-34 wk of pregnancy, 125 women and 81 men completed a Modified Dental Anxiety Scale questionnaire and were included in this study. Other instruments used were the Trauma and Distress Scale (TADS), the Life Event Checklist, and the Parental Bonding Index. All scales were analyzed as summated rating scale scores. Associations between dental fear, TADS domains, and life events were evaluated using Spearman correlation coefficients. The association between dental fear and parental bonding was evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Among women, dental fear did not correlate with trauma measures, but among men dental fear correlated with emotional neglect and abuse. Dental fear correlated positively with the number of life events among women. Life events and dental fear did not correlate among men. Dental fear was not associated with parental bonding among women or men. The association between traumas, life events, and dental fear seems to be different in women and men.

Children’s dental fear and anxiety: exploring family related factors

“…Although the regression models suggested the impact of familial factors on children’s DFA, the R 2 were low and the models only explained 9.5, 22.4, and 11.7% of the variance in DFA of all subjects, boys, and girls, respectively. This supports the notion that DFA is a complex phenomenon, in which many other factors, such as child’s personality traits [ 43 ], past dental experiences [ 44 ], other life incidents/events [ 45 ], were involved.…”

Dental fear among transgender individuals ‐ a cross‐sectional survey

“…Minority stress often results in a lifetime of harassment, maltreatment, discrimination, and victimization and may ultimately impact access to care . This may increase dental fear levels . Additionally, associations between dental fear and both fear of maltreatment in dental clinics and past maltreatment were significant, which is consistent with previous research among different populations, such as among cisgender adults and children.…”

“…Additionally, associations between dental fear and both fear of maltreatment in dental clinics and past maltreatment were significant, which is consistent with previous research among different populations, such as among cisgender adults and children. Previous studies reported that even if the maltreatment or discrimination occurred during childhood, long‐term effects impact patients’ dental fear and dental behavior, such as uncooperative behavior during dental treatment and cancellations without notice …”

“…Gender nonconforming individuals also have higher levels of dental fear. These unclear conditions may lead to increased stress, which in turn increases dental fear levels . Future research regarding the influence of hormonal intervention and psychosocial transition on dental fear level is needed.…”

“…Previous studies reported that people who experienced maltreatment or psychological trauma have higher level of dental fear and difficulty of receiving dental care . Dental fear also often relates to other psychological/psychiatric problems such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, which are often reported among individuals who identify as transgender .…”