Prevalence of dental anxiety in an adult population in a major urban area in Sweden

Abstract

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.

Ansiedade Odontológica em um Serviço de Saúde Bucal de Atenção Primária

“…Este ti po de serviço apenas é buscado quando há a sensação de necessidade de tratamento, ou seja, na presença de sinais e/ou sintomas clínicos como dor, edema e fí stulas [1][2][3] . A ansiedade é entendida como uma resposta a situações na qual a fonte de ameaça ao indivíduo não está bem defi nida, é ambígua ou não está objeti vamente presente 4 .…”

Ai̇leni̇n Sosyoekonomi̇k Durumu Ve Eği̇ti̇m Düzeyi̇ni̇n Çocuklarda Dental Kaygi Üzeri̇ne Etki̇si̇

“…Stabholz ve Peretz (40), eğitim düzeyi yüksek kişilerin stresli durumlarla başa ç›kma yeteneklerinin daha kolay geliştiğini bildirmişlerdir. Bunun yan›nda, eğitim düzeyi ve dental kayg› aras›nda ilişki belirlenemeyen araşt›rmalar da bulunmaktad›r (41,42). Çal›şmam›zda, düşük sosyoekonomik düzeye ve eğitim seviyesine sahip ailelerden gelen çocuklar›n orta ve yüksek seviyedeki ailelerden gelenlere göre oturma biçimi testi ile değerlendirmede istatistiksel olarak anlaml› düzeyde daha kayg›l› olduğu ve Frankl Davran›ş Skalas›'na göre tedavi s›ras›nda daha olumsuz davran›ş gösterdikleri tespit edildi (Tablo-3, Tablo-5).…”

Ansiedad dental: evaluación y tratamiento

“…La ansiedad dental presenta una importante prevalencia, con tasas que van del 4% al 23% en países europeos (1, 10,14), siendo un fenómeno "sumamente extendido" en el Reino Unido (12). En Sudamérica, estudios dan cuenta de tasas del 34,7% en preescolares (15), mostrando a su vez que los padres de dichos niños también presentan una alta incidencia de ansiedad dental (41,1%) (16).…”