Oral health and dental anxiety in a German practice-based sample.
OBJECTIVE
Does dental anxiety have an effect on dental and periodontal health?


METHODS
Survey data was collected from n = 200 adults (53 % females, average age 49 years) in a cross-sectional study. Dental anxiety was measured with the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS, score 1-5, the greater the score, the greater the anxiety). Clinical parameters including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque index (SLI), and bleeding on probing (BoP) as well as the DMFT index were recorded and statistically analyzed.


RESULTS
Rating of dental anxiety was higher in women than in men (65 vs 35 %). Subjects with higher MDAS values visited the dentist less frequently (p = 0.001) and had more decay (DT 6.7 ± 4.2 vs 1.7 ± 2.4; p < 0.001) but fewer filled teeth than subjects with lower ratings of dental anxiety (FT 7.1 ± 4.5 vs 9.8 ± 5.7; p = 0.042). There were no differences in PD or CAL between subjects with or without dental anxiety, while patients with higher MDAS value showed significantly more BoP (50 ± 19 vs 34 ± 20 %; p = 0.002) than patients with low MDAS scores (no or low dental anxiety).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with higher ratings of dental anxiety had significantly more caries experience and gingivitis. Therefore, dental anxiety is associated with negative effect on dental and periodontal health.


CONCLUSIONS
Identifying patients with high dental anxiety and helping to manage this anxiety has important implications to improve oral health in adults. The MDAS appears to be an easy and efficient tool that can be used to identify patients with dental anxiety in dental practices.
Department of Surgical Sciences, Marquette University School of Dentistry, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI, 53201-1881, USA. arndt.guentsch@marquette.edu.|Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany. arndt.guentsch@marquette.edu.
Arndt
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8989-1441
A
Guentsch
Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Christiane
C
Stier
Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Gregor F
GF
Raschke
Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
André
A
Peisker
Department of Surgical Sciences, Marquette University School of Dentistry, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI, 53201-1881, USA.
Mina D
MD
Fahmy
Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Harald
H
Kuepper
Department of Preventive Dentistry and Paediatric Dentistry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Ina
I
Schueler
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
DMFT; Dental anxiety; MDAS; Periodontal disease