title: Dental anxiety and illness behaviour.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To analyse the relationship between dental anxiety and illness behaviour.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental anxiety was assessed in 165 patients from private practice using the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), aspects of illness behaviour were evaluated by the Illness Attitude Scale (IAS), and aspects of general anxiety were analysed by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Dental status was documented using the DMFS index and Bleeding-on-Probing index (BOP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multiple regression analysis (explained proportion of variance = 32%) showed that dental anxiety was significantly correlated with female gender (t = 3.109, p < 0.002) and IAS health habits (t = -2.210, p < 0.03). In addition, a correlation trend was found between dental anxiety and BOP index (t = -1.789, p < 0.08).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dental anxiety appears to be a gender-specific phenomenon. Results indicate a tendency towards abnormal illness behaviour (i.e. denial of dental anxiety) in a considerable proportion of subjects and as a consequence display of poor health habits (i.e. counterphobic behaviour). The latter may lead to an increased tendency to develop gingivitis as indicated by the correlation trend between dental anxiety and BOP index.
authors.affiliation: University of Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Portmann
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Radanov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004245:DMF Index; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011331:Private Practice; D011594:Psychometrics; D012803:Sick Role