Dental anxiety and illness behaviour.

The purpose of the study was to investigate dental anxiety (DA) screening and management practices among dental professionals in Saudi Arabia. The study also evaluated correlation between patients' self-reported DA and dentists' ratings of patients' DA. This cross-sectional observational study included dentist/patient pairs (N = 279) from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The dentists responded to a questionnaire about their DA screening and management practices and they evaluated patients' DA using the visual analogue scale (VAS). In addition, patients responded to the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) to measure their DA. About 15.1% of dentists reported using a published scale for screening DA in dental practice and Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale and Dental Fear Survey were their main scales. However, 69.2% reported directly asking their patients about DA. The use of DA management technique was reported by 89.6% of the dentists. Approximately half of the participants (53%) reported receiving DA training in their undergraduate dentistry programs and 65.2% expressed their interest in continuing education courses related to DA. In multiple logistic regression analysis, statistically significant factors associated with DA screening practice included gender (AOR = 0.46, P = 0.037), place of work (AOR = 3.68, P = 0.039), and interest in continuing education courses (AOR = 3.21, P = 0.015). Monthly income (AOR = 0.20, P = 0.029) and directly asking patient about DA (AOR = 6.15, P = 0.025) were significant factors associated with management of patients with DA. The study also showed a significant but weak correlation between DA evaluated by the dentists and DA reported by the patients (rho = 0.185, P = 0.002). The present study showed a low prevalence of DA screening practices among dentists. Dentists' rating of patients' DA weakly correlated with patients' self-reported DA.

Dental anksiyete, hem hastanın tedaviden kaçınmasına neden olması, hem de mevcut tedavi sürecini olumsuz etkilediğinden dental tedavi sürecini hekim ve hasta açısından oldukça zorlaştırmaktadır. Bu çalışmada hastaların yaşı, eğitim düzeyi, cinsiyeti ve hastalarda dental anksiyete varlığının OHIP-14 ile ilişkisini değerlendirmek amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma Kırıkkale Üniversitesi ve Biruni Üniversitesi’ne tedavi görmek amacıyla başvuran 500 gönüllü ile gerçekleştirildi. Gönüllülere rutin planlanmış olan tedavi öncesi ve sonrasında MDAS, DKS ve OHIP-14 anketlerindeki sorular yöneltildi. Alınan cevaplarla edinilen veriler bir istatistiksel yazılım programı aracılığıyla analiz edildi. İstatistiksel analizlere göre yaş, cinsiyet ve eğitim durumunun dental anksiyete ve dental korku skalasi ile OHIP-14 arasinda pozitif ilişki olduğu sonucuna varıldı.

Objective. Our objective was to study whether dental condition, measured by numbers of sound, decayed, missing, and restored teeth, was associated with dental fear, and whether age, dental attendance, and/or gender modified this association. Material and Methods. The sample (n=8,028) comprised Finnish adults aged 30 years and older and the study included people (n=6,335) who participated in a home interview and a clinical dental examination. Dental fear was measured by the question: “How afraid are you of visiting a dentist?” Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between dental fear and dental condition variables, i.e. numbers of decayed, missing, sound, and restored teeth considering the effects of age, attendance, and gender. Results. With the exception of number of restored teeth, all dental condition variables were associated with dental fear. The association between dental fear and number of decayed teeth was positive and was independent of age, gender, and attendance. Age modified the association between dental fear and number of missing and sound teeth. Among the oldest age group, the numbers of missing and sound teeth were positively associated with dental fear while being negatively associated among the youngest age group. Conclusions. People with high dental fear have poorer dental condition than those with lower fear. Neither gender nor dental attendance affects the association between dental fear and dental condition. The associations between dental fear and numbers of missing and sound teeth vary according to year of birth.

Anxiety related to dental treatment is a fairly common phenomenon. Some studies have shown that there is an association between dental anxiety and general fears and anxiety, neuroticism and general psychological distress. This study was designed to examine the relationship between dental anxiety and trait anxiety. The sample consisted of 1,030 individuals (688 women; 342 men), aged 30.8 +/- 11.7 years. The Portuguese version of Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) were used. A statistically significant association between high DAS and high STAI-T, but not between high STAI-T and high DAS, was found. The data indicated that subjects with high dental anxiety tend to present with high trait anxiety, but high trait anxiety seems not to predispose to high dental anxiety. Our results indicate that dental anxiety is specific, with its own features, and its development is not necessarily associated with trait anxiety.

Background: An international epidemic known as dental anxiety impacts individuals of all ages worldwide. Children, adults, and society as a whole may all be significantly impacted by the disorder, which has a negative influence on quality of life related to dental health. Dental anxiety has a complex aetiology, making it difficult to treat with a single therapy, which is a major deterrent to getting dental care. The paediatric dentist can determine the best management options by properly evaluating the patient and determining their source and level of anxiety. Estimates of dental anxiety's prevalence may also be affected by the techniques employed to measure it.
 Aim: This systematic review and meta analysis was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of several projective dental associated anxiety measurement tools used in children as well as evaluate the many accessible dental anxiety scales.
 Methods and materials: The articles were chosen by two independent reviewers in two stages. In the first stage, each reviewer individually searched titles and abstracts according to the eligibility requirements. Articles were added to the systematic review when a third evaluator made a consensus decision in cases of disagreements. The preselected papers were subjected to full text examination by the same reviewers in phase two in order to determine eligibility and extract pertinent data. We employ the PICO framework, which compared (C) the different types of tools for measurement of anxieties like FIS, VPT, and RMS. the outcome (O) was anxiety scores in the population (P) consisting of children in the age range of 3 to 15 years, with no intervention (i) administered. For this meta-analysis, descriptive cross-sectional research were used. Two reviewers extracted the following data from the selected articles: author(s) and year of publication, design of study , objective of research, age and size of population, dental related anxiety measuring tools applied and outcome
 Results: 13 studies were ultimately chosen for comprehensive assessment. The VPT and the FIS were examined on a combined total of 295 and 293 kids, respectively. In the population under investigation, there was a computed average difference between the two tools of 0.14 (95% CI: 0.27-0.49). There was no significant variance statistically (p value = 0.76), indicating that both scales are equally accurate in determining the level of anxiety in the paediatric population. There were 209 kids evaluated for the RMS and VPT tools in total. In the population under investigation, there was a computed average difference between the two tools of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.81-0.22). Both were on par, showing that both were equally reliable (p=0.33). There were 209 kids evaluated for the RMS and VPT tools in total. In the population under investigation, there was a computed average difference between the two tools of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.81-0.22).
 Conclusion: We draw the conclusion that VPT, FIS, and RMS scales are the most often used projective measures in paediatric dentistry. These three tools are equally useful in determining how anxious kids are about visiting the dentist. The findings from this paper can be used by academics, clinicians, and psychologists to choose the best dental related anxiety evaluation system for their specific needs.
 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.22 (Special Issue) 2023 p.S -S

Background: Dental anxiety (DA) creates a vicious cycle of dentist avoidance, oral health neglect, increased unmet treatment needs, compromised well-being and quality of life (QoL), which then generates added anxiety. The prevalence of DA among adult Filipinos has not been investigated. Objectives: This study aimed to establish baseline data on dental anxiety among the adult residents of Barangay (Brgy.) Cambaog, Bustos, Bulacan, Philippines. Methodology: Three hundred thirty-six (336) randomly selected adult residents completed a questionnaire that included demographics, frequency of dental visits, self-assessment of their oral health status, the Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), and reasons for their DA. Results: The study showed that 11% of the 336 participants had DA, were young adults, affecting twice as many women than men, had lower levels of education, and with a lessening of anxiety with age. Participants with DA were also found to have infrequent dental visits, were symptom-driven, had poorer self-assessed oral health status, and only 13% of the respondents with DA viewed their oral health as healthy. Needles, tooth extraction, pain, previous negative experience, and the sound of the drill were some of the triggers that elicited anxiety. Conclusion: DA affects a proportion of the adult residents of Brgy. Cambaog and can be considered a dental public health problem. The use of screening tools like DAS should be considered for the early recognition of patients with DA so that management measures may be taken to enhance the delivery of oral health services.

Identify predictive variables related to the development and continuation of high dental anxiety among young people over 2years and assess differences between youth experiencing increased, decreased or unchanged dental anxiety scores over time. An observational panel study of 15- to 21-year-old people in Tromsø and Balsfjord region followed students from their first to their last year of upper secondary school (2010/11-2012/13). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of possible predictive variables assessed at baseline when using dental anxiety score from the second wave as a dichotomous dependent variable. Variables measured at baseline: Sex, Dental Caries Experiences (DMFS index), Dental Anxiety (Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale/DAS), Psychological Distress (Hopkins Symptom Checklist/HSCL-10), Avoidance of dental treatment, Pain Estimation at the dentist and motivational questions related to tooth brushing and caries (Self and Social Motivation). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to test whether changes in DAS score between waves were associated with changes in Pain Estimation between waves and HSCL-10 scores at baseline. Hopkins Symptom Checklist, DMFS and DAS scores at baseline predicted high dental anxiety scores after 2years. Sex, motivation related to oral hygiene and avoidance due to fear at baseline did not contribute significantly to our model. DMFS and HSCL-10 were higher among young people who reported a substantial change in DAS score (2.0>Interquartile range/IQR), irrespective of the direction of change. Pain Estimation changed consistently with a change in DAS score. Mental health symptoms, pre-existing dental anxiety and dental health status are important contributors to the development of dental anxiety in youth. Estimations of pain at the dentist are central when it comes to changes in dental anxiety over time in this study.

PurposeThe primary objective of this study was to compare relationships between child, parent, and clinical factors with patient-level treatment decisions for early childhood caries. A secondary objective was to describe children that received silver diamine fluoride (SDF) as interim versus long-term treatment.Patients and MethodsParents of 2–6-year-old children seeking care at a multi-center pediatric dentistry private practice were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Demographic data and dental anxiety data according to the Modified Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale were collected via questionnaire. A dental visit behavior rating and decayed, missing, and filled tooth (dmft) index were recorded from the child’s dental record. The primary outcome was treatment decision categorized into three groups: (1) treatment with SDF (n=25), (2) conventional restorative treatment under local anesthesia (n=32), and (3) restorative treatment under general anesthesia (n=33). Analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and ordered logistic regression.ResultsChild age, parent education level, family income, dental insurance status, dental visit behavior rating, and dmft were significantly different across treatment groups in bivariate comparisons. However, when included in multivariable, ordered logistic regression, child dental anxiety was the only significant covariate associated with treatment decisions (Odds Ratio=5.01, 95% confidence interval: 1.51 to 16.63). In secondary analysis, two distinct subgroups were identified within the SDF group: one as long-term treatment (n=9) and one as interim treatment prior to general anesthesia (n=16). The long-term group was younger (mean=3.2 versus 3.7), had lower dmft (mean=4 versus 11.1), and had lower frequency of very high dental anxiety (0% versus 15%).ConclusionThe present study identified child dental anxiety as the primary factor associated with treatment decisions at this private practice. The characterization of two subgroups of children treated with SDF has meaningful implications for studies evaluating the economic and public health impacts of SDF.

Background/Objectives: Dental anxiety has been demonstrated to exert a significant influence on the frequency of treatment, the degree of patient compliance, and the long-term implications for oral health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent of dental anxiety experienced by patients attending an oral surgery practice in Germany. In addition, the study sought to assess their preventive dental behaviour and to explore any potential associations between anxiety levels and the utilisation of preventive care services. Methods: The present study comprised 102 consecutive adult outpatients from a private oral surgery practice. The assessment of dental anxiety was conducted using the Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). The behaviour of the subjects in relation to preventative dental care was measured using a series of six standardised items, including the frequency of tooth brushing, tartar removal, and professional tooth cleaning. The data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, chi-square (χ2) tests, multiple linear regression, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The mean DAS score was 12.69 (SD = 3.36). According to the DAS classification system, 28.4% of patients reported low anxiety, 50.0% moderate anxiety, and 21.6% high dental anxiety. Regression analysis explained 10% of the variance in DAS scores (R2 = 0.128, adj. R2 = 0.100). The analysis revealed that age (β = −0.218, p = 0.035) and lower educational level (β = −0.357, p < 0.001) were associated with higher anxiety scores, whereas sex was not a significant predictor. Preventive dental behaviour, encompassing practices such as tooth brushing, professional tooth cleaning, and tartar removal, did not exhibit significant disparities across anxiety groups (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: While dental anxiety was prevalent among the patient sample, it did not exert a significant influence on preventive dental behaviours. However, patients with lower levels of education and younger age exhibited higher dental anxiety scores. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted educational and preventive strategies in patients with elevated dental anxiety.

This dataset provides information on dental anxiety and psychological distress experienced by patients in Albania and Germany. Data were collected using the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18). Additional information on oral health and dental care behaviors was also obtained. The dataset contains the responses from 263 patients (N = 133 German and N = 130 Albanian) who completed questionnaires between December 2019 and July 2020. The variables include measures of dental anxiety (DAS), psychological distress (BSI-18), and self-reported oral health behaviors such as the tooth brushing frequency, frequency of dental visits, frequency of tartar removal, and frequency of professional teeth cleaning. The dataset also includes measures of subjective health status and oral health-related self-efficacy. The dataset enables for cross-cultural comparisons and supports further research into the relationship between dental anxiety, psychological distress, and oral health practices.

Introduction: Dental anxiety is a well-recognized barrier to accessing dental treatment and is considered as a global public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate pre-treatment dental anxiety in the patients with Symptomatic Pulpitis referred to the School of Dentistry in 2023. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 97 patients aged 18 or older with symptomatic pulpitis who were referred for root canal therapy at the school of Dentistry. Demographic characteristics, pain intensity scores, history of previous painful experiences, and current pain levels were recorded. Anxiety in Patients was measured using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire. Following data collection, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 17, then t-tests were executed. Results: The average pain score and anxiety score of the patients were 5.799 ± 2.662 and 12.721 ± 5.316, respectively. Women indicated significantly higher dental anxiety (P = 0.001). A statistically significant difference in dental anxiety scores was observed based on the presence or absence of previous painful experiences (P = 0.017). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the level of dental anxiety was higher in women and individuals who had experienced pain during previous treatments. The results of this study can act as a reference for assessing and managing dental pain and anxiety in individuals with a higher risk of anxiety.

To investigate the frequency of impaired oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with dental anxiety. OHRQoL was measured with the German version of the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) developed by Slade and Spencer (1994) in 173 adult patients with dental anxiety [Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) score 15 or above and Dental Fear Survey (DFS) score 60 or above]. The OHIP summary scores were characterized with an empirical cumulative distribution function and compared with the level of impaired OHRQoL in the general population (n = 2026, age: 16-79 years). In addition, OHIP item prevalences (responses 'fairly often'/'very often') were compared between patients and population subjects. The correlation between DAS, DFS and OHIP scores was calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. A median value of 1 and a 90th percentile value of 13 were observed for general population subjects. In contrast, patients with phobic dental anxiety had a median OHIP-14 of 21 and the 90th percentile of 40. All problems mentioned in the OHIP-14 were more prevalent in patients than in population subjects. The most frequently occurring items in patients were 'self-conscious', 'life in general was less satisfying', and 'feeling tense' with prevalences of 50% or greater. In contrast, these items had prevalences of only 1-3% in the general population. A low to moderate relationship between OHRQoL and both dental anxiety measures (DAS and DFS) was observed (r = 0.25/0.26, P < 0.01). Patients with dental anxiety/fear suffer considerably from impaired OHRQoL and the degree of this impairment is related to the extent of dental anxiety/fear.

Background:Dental anxiety and fear are the frequently encountered entities among most of the patients. The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between dental anxiety and quality of life (QoL).Materials and Methods:This study comprised of 118 patients. Dental trait anxiety (dental anxiety scale [DAS] and short version of the dental anxiety inventory [S-DAI]), Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) score, and global assessment of functioning were recorded before and after treatment.Results:Out of 118 patients, males were 52 and females were 56. There was a correlation between both oral health ratings and DMFT (P < 0.001). OHIP-14 total score was significantly associated with both dental anxiety measures. DMFT shows significant association with dental anxiety and oral health-related QoL (OH-QoL) (P < 0.05). The mean DAS score before treatment was 17.3 and after treatment was 12.60, S-DAI score was 40.1 and 31.5 before and after treatment respectively, oral health status (patient rating) was 38.4 and 74.20 before and after treatment respectively, oral health status (dentist rating) was 38.7 and 73.1 before and after treatment respectively and aesthetics (dentist rating) was 35.6 and 72.4 before and after treatment respectively. There was improvement of OH-QoL with dental anxiety reduction which was significantly significant (P < 0.05).Conclusion:Authors found that there is correlation between dental anxiety and fear with the poor oral health-related oral hygiene.

Dental anxiety in relation to neuroticism and pain sensitivity. A twin study

Objective: To determine the prevalence of dental anxiety and associated factors among 5 to10 years old Indian children. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the sample was composed by 462 children (240 male and 222 female). Questionnaires consisting of dental anxiety scales were distributed to mother-child pair participants. Children fear survey schedule-dental subscale was used to assess child dental anxiety and Corah’s dental anxiety scale was used to measure maternal dental anxiety. Age, gender, religion were also recorded to check the correlation of these factors with the child dental anxiety. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Fisher’s exact test and Pearson correlation tests were applied. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results: The cut-off score for CFSS-DS was 36. The prevalence of dental anxiety was 24.5% among 5 to 10 year old children. Although a statistically significant association was found between maternal and child dental anxiety (p=0.000), no significant association existed between age, gender, culture (religion) and child dental anxiety (p>0.05). Conclusion: Prevalence of dental anxiety was high in the Indian child population. Maternal dental anxiety was found to significantly influence the child dental anxiety, as compared to age, gender or the religion.