Evaluation of Dental Anxiety Levels on Oral and Dental Health Quality of Life in Patients with Hashimoto Thyroiditis

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of anxiety level, dental fear, anxiety on oral health quality of life oral, and dental health in Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients. Materials and Methods: Ninety adult individuals were included from Gaziantep University Faculty of Dentistry. All participants were asked about demographic parameters (age, gender), socio-economic status (education, marital status), and oral hygiene habits. The OHIP-14 and OHRQoL-UK questionnaires were used to asses the effect of individuals' oral health on their quality of life. Dental anxiety levels were evaluation with the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0. Result: There were no significant differences for Sociodemographic data, dental habits, age, marital status, educational status, smoking, frequency of brushing tooth, frequency of visiting the dental clinic in OHIP-14, OHRQoL, and MDAS survey scores (p > 0.005). However, there was a statistically moderate positive correlation between the total OHIP-14 scores and the MDAS scores (r = 0.309; p < 0.003). Additionally, a moderate negative correlation was showed between the total OHRQoL and the MDAS scale (r = 0.307; p < 0.003). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study showed that patients' quality of life regarding oral and dental health was low, regardless of individual factors. It was found that dental anxiety was lower in patients with HT, and a significant correlation betwen the quality of life and anxiety level was observed.