Abstract

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate dental clinic fear and anxiety in high school students. Methods : The subjects were 311 high school students aged 19 years. They completed self-reported questionnaire including general characteristics, dental clinic experiences, dentist or dental hygienist confidence, and dental fear. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Results : Poor oral health status showed negative attitude towards dental clinic visit. Girl students tended to have more fear than boy students. Muscle tension was the most common experience and was closely related to anesthetic needles and drills. Dental anxiety was caused by lack of confidence to dentists and dental hygienists. Students were more afraid of dentists than dental hygienists. Higher score of dental anxiety seemed to be associated with infrequent visit to dental clinic. Conclusions : Frequent regular dental checkup may reduce dental fear and anxiety. Dental clinic staff should try to minimize dental anxiety in performing treatment.

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