Title
Are there differences in oral health and oral health behavior between individuals with high and low dental fear?
Author
Schuller, A.A.
Willumsen, T.
Holst, D.
Publication year
2003
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.
Subject
Health
Dental fear
DMF
Epidemiology
FST
Age distribution
Anxiety neurosis
Avoidance behavior
Dental health
Mouth hygiene
Statistical significance
Tooth filling
Age
Classification
Dental surgery
Health
Health survey
Needs assessment
Periodontal disease
Psychological aspect
Sex difference
Utilization review
Adult
Age Factors
Attitude to Health
Chi-Square Distribution
Dental Anxiety
Dental Care
Dental Caries
Dental Restoration, Permanent
DMF Index
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Needs Assessment
Oral Health
Oral Hygiene
Regression Analysis
Sex Factors
Tooth Loss
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:fac96cb5-efa2-47e7-ae4e-8b5ed3d2aa04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0528.2003.00026.x
TNO identifier
237033
ISSN
0301-5661
Source
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 31 (2), 116-121
Document type
article