title: Attitude toward death: does it influence dental fear?
abstract: The possible influence of fear of death and attitude toward death were studied related to dental anxiety in Hungarian elementary and secondary school subjects (n = 277; 114 males, 163 females; age between 8 and 18 years). Dental fear and anxiety scores were DAS: 10.8 +/- 3.6; DFS: 40.6 +/- 15.6; STAI-S: 38.0 +/- 11.0; STAI-T: 40.3 +/- 10.0. Lester's Attitude Toward Death Scale scores were 6.3 +/- 1.3. Girls scored higher on DAS, STAI-S, and STAI-T scales (P < or = 0.05). Age influenced STAI-S, STAI-T, and Lester's Scale scores (P < or = 0.05). Lester's Scale scores influenced the expectations of the subjects about the dental fear of their surrounding people (parents, brother, sister, friends) (P < or = 0.05). A percentage of 7.22 of the subjects indicated a rather strong connection between dental fear and fear of death. These subjects had significantly higher dental fear and anxiety scores as compared to others (P < or = 0.01). Death-related content was found in 4.3% of drawings and in 10.5% of free associations (couplings) related to teeth (in 12.6% either in drawings or in couplings). The appearance of death-related content was higher with higher age, and higher expected dental fear of surrounding people (P < or = 0.01). Our data indicate a detectable influence of fear of death on dental fear, especially in subjects with higher dental fear scores.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Semmelweis University, Szentkirályi utca 47, 1088, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fábián
authors.forename: Orsolya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Szilvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Minh Tú
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Tibor Károly
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Fábián
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Csermely
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fejérdy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003643:Death; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male