Photographic Description of Mother’s Dental Anxiety based on Oral Health Literacy Level in Surabaya, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Mothers, the main influencers of their children’s development, are thought to be one cause ofhigh anxiety in children. Basic Health Research or Riskesdas 2018 stated that 93 percent of early childhood,in the age range of 5-6 years, have cavities. Mother’s dental anxiety may effects their childrens oral healthand hygiene and worsened by lower oral health literacy.Aims: To analyze the relationship of dental health literacy level to maternal dental anxiety in the photographicdescription.Method and Material: This is a observational analytic research method using a cross-sectional approach,consist by 100 participant mothers of children who visited dental clinic with research criteria, living in thecity of Surabaya. Instruments used are MDAS & HELD-IM questionnaire and confirmed by photographicdescription on mother anxietal face.Results: There is a significant relationship between the variable level of oral health literacy with the variablematernal dental anxiety with a significance value of 0,000 and a correlation coefficient of 0.704. Motherwith lesser oral health literacy, have higher level of dental anxiety and confirmed as that by photographicdescription.Conclusions: In this study, it is found that lesser oral health literacy state plays a role as a risk factorin arising dental anxiety in mother perspective. Dental anxiety of mother recorded (photographed) as ifemoticon used in MDAS indicators as it is.