DETERMINANTS OF DENTAL ANXIETY AMONG PATIENTS VISITING A DENTAL INSTITUTE IN HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Original research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56501/intjcommunitydent.v10i1.109Keywords:
Dental anxiety, dental caries, oral healthAbstract
BACKGROUND: Dental anxiety is a known barrier in accessing dental health care and an established factor related to poor oral health. This paper reports on prevalence of dental anxiety and associated factors among patients visiting a dental institute in Himachal Pradesh, India.
METHODS: The study was conducted on 200 patients who visited Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences, Paonta Sahib (HP) for dental treatment. Data on dental anxiety were collected using a self-completed questionnaire and were measured by the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 at significance level of 0.05.
RESULTS: The mean MDAS score was 9.3±4.0 and the prevalence of dental anxiety was found to be 37%. Dental anxiety was found to be higher among females (P<0.001), participants of lower age (P<0.001), and those who had never visited the dentist before (P=0.028). Dentally anxious individuals were also found to have less number of filled teeth compared to those without dental anxiety (P=0.020).
CONCLUSION: Dental anxiety was found to be significantly associated with age, gender, and dental visiting pattern.
References
Klingberg G, Broberg AG. Dental fear/anxiety and dental behaviour management problems in children and adolescents: A review of prevalence and concomitant psychological factors. Int J Paediatr Dent 2007; 17:391‑406.
Al‑Omari WM, Al‑Omiri MK. Dental anxiety among university students and its correlation with their field of study. J Appl Oral Sci 2009; 17:199‑203.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Alisha Dogra, Aditi Bhardwaj, Akshita Abrol, Abhishek Sharma , Aayushi Sharma, Anjali, Sumeet Bhatt, Isha Sharma
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.