Impact of Dental Anxiety on Dental Care Routine and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life in a German Adult Population—A Cross-Sectional Study

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Abstract

The interaction between dental anxiety and the establishment of a consistent dental care routine has been an ongoing challenge. Unfortunately, there is limited available data concerning the detailed dental care practices of individuals with dental anxiety. Therefore, this study aims to explore how dental anxiety influences dental care habits and oral-health-related quality of life within an adult population. By utilizing the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the German Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G5), we assessed their extent. To evaluate the differences, we performed analyses of variance (Anova), an independent t-test and rank correlation. The findings of this study unveil a significant correlation between elevated DAS scores and reduced frequency of tooth brushing; calculus removal and appointments for professional teeth cleaning. Interestingly; the use of dental floss and mouthwash solution as well as toothbrush hardness appeared to be not significantly affected by dental fear. Moreover, individuals with dental anxiety demonstrated a preference for manual toothbrushes over electric ones. In addition, higher DAS scores were found to be strongly associated with greater OHIP-G5 scores, thus leading to a substantial decline in overall oral health-related quality of life.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number5291
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of clinical medicine
Volume12(2023)
Issue number16
Publication statusPublished - 14 Aug 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

unpaywall 10.3390/jcm12165291
PubMed 37629334
Mendeley 81bcc7e5-0373-3f6d-a9da-8723791207fa
Scopus 85169123645

Keywords

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Keywords

  • dental anxiety, dental anxiety score, dental care, oral health, oral health impact profile

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