EFFECT OF DENTAL ANXIETY ON ORAL HEALTH VALUE AMONG PROFESSIONAL ADULTS - A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: An individual’s level of education has great influence on oral health. The oral health value scale (OHVS) is a newly developed scale which is comprised of four subscales which forms a prime behavior in preventing poor oral health. Modified Dental anxiety scale (MDAS) is a widely used scale for assessing dental anxiety. Objective: The study was conducted to correlate dental anxiety on oral health value of a professional adult and its effect on age. Methods and Materials: Cross-sectional study was conducted among (n=116) professional adults. Voluntary sampling technique was considered to recruit the participants. Demographic data, two pre-validated tools i.e., the MDAS and OHVS were used to obtain the data. Results: Out of 116 participants 64% were males and 36% were females. Females had significantly high level of anxiety compared to males (p=0.001). There was significant association of MDAS and OHVs with age (p≤0.005). Pearson correlation between MDAS and OHVS showed a positive association with the flossing subscale and a negative association with professional dental care, retaining natural teeth and appearance subscale of OHVS. Conclusion: An individual’s score of OHVS is found to be influenced by dental anxiety. Factors like professional dental care has been reported to be inversely associated with dental anxiety. Individuals with high anxiety need to be counselled for building a positive attitude towards oral hygiene which will give high values to oral health.