Abstract
ABSTRACTThe objective was to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with dental anxiety (DA) in medical and dental students in North-West Russia. This cross-sectional study included 422 medical and 285 dental undergraduate Russian students aged 18–25 years from the Northern State Medical University in Arkhangelsk. Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) was applied to measure DA. Information on socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors, oral health behaviour and general and oral health was obtained from a structured, self-administered questionnaire. A clinical examination was performed to assess caries experience, Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, and Gingival Index. DAS score ≥13 was found in 13.7% and 2.2% of medical and dental students, respectively. Female sex (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.11, p = 0.013), lower education of mother (IRR = 1.13, p = 0.001), and poor self-assessed oral health (IRR = 1.15, p < 0.001) were associated with DA in medical students. Corresponding factors in dental students were female sex (IRR = 1.16, p = 0.001), irregular dental visits (IRR = 1.19, p = 0.001), infrequent tooth-brushing (IRR = 1.17, p = 0.007), pain in mouth (IRR = 1.09, p = 0.031) and number of missing teeth (IRR = 1.13, p = 0.007). The prevalence of high DA was lower in dental students than in medical students. DA was associated with sex, mother’s education, poor oral health behaviour and self-assessed and clinically assessed oral health.
Highlights
Oral health is an integral part of general well-being and a significant public health issue
The 707 students included in the analysis did not differ by age, sex, or subjective socioeconomic status (SES) from students who were excluded from the analysis due to missing data (n = 100)
There were no differences in Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) score among medical students in different age groups or among those who were and were not eligible for free education
Summary
Oral health is an integral part of general well-being and a significant public health issue. Despite increased awareness among dentists and patients of preventive approach to oral diseases, and innovations in dental equipment and pain reduction, dental anxiety (DA) remains an important problem in clinical dentistry [1]. DA is described as a state of excessive and unreasonable apprehension that “something dreadful is going to happen in relation to dental treatment, and it is coupled with a sense of losing control” [2]. Dental fear is related to DA and is described as a normal unpleasant emotional reaction to perceived threat or danger in a dental situation [1]. Along with single-item questions, Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) [3], the Modified Dental
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