Factors associated with dental anxiety among older people in Britain.
OBJECTIVE
This paper reports on a study of dental anxiety among adults aged 60 years living independently in Britain.


METHODS
A national cross-sectional study carried out with the assistance of the Office for National Statistics' Omnibus Surveys in 1999.


METHODS
Data was collected by face to face interviews with older people in their homes.


METHODS
Data on dental anxiety were collected from 973 subjects by means of face to face interviews and was measured by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) (Corah, 1969). In addition, data on dental service use and oral health status (self-reported) was collected.


RESULTS
The mean DAS score was 8.4 (sd 3.5), and 13% (129) of subjects were classified as dentally anxious (DAS > or = 13). DAS scores were associated with numerous socio-demographic factors (P < 0.01), self-reported oral health status (P < 0.01) and dental service (P < 0.01) factors. A series of regression analyses revealed that dental anxiety was a significant predictor of a number of behavioural and oral health outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
One in eight older people in Britain are dentally anxious and this is associated with their use of services and oral health status (self-reported).
Bedi
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R
National Centre for Transcultural Oral Health, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, University College London, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD. r.bedi@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
McGrath
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C
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009909:Oral Health; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology