Self-Reported Periodontal Disease and its Association with Dental Anxiety in Lagos, Nigeria

Modupeore Ekua Sorunke,Afolabi Oyapero,Olurotimi A Coker,Olubunmi O Onigbinde

doi:10.1590/pboci.2022.008

Modupeore Ekua Sorunke, Afolabi Oyapero + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/pboci.2022.008

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Abstract

Objective To determine the relationship between dental anxiety and self-reported periodontal status. Material and Methods The study was conducted among 263 patients at the Family Medicine Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Self-assessed gingival and periodontal disease was measured using the validated periodontal disease self-report surveillance questionnaire. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used for evaluating dental anxiety. Student’s t-test was used to test for association between categorical variables. P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results Seventy-seven (29.3%) participants had high dental anxiety, while 49 (18.6%) had very high dental anxiety. The prevalence of periodontal disease was higher among those with very high dental anxiety (77.6%), while female respondents had a significantly higher proportion of self-reported periodontitis (34.1%). There was a significantly higher prevalence of very high dental anxiety among respondents who had never visited the dentist (23.2%). Similarly, females (19.4%), middle-class respondents (30.8%), and those with a primary level of school education (23.5%) had a higher prevalence of high dental anxiety, even though the association was not significant. Conclusion The prevalence of self-reported periodontal disease among the respondents with very high dental anxiety was higher than in those with high dental anxiety and those without dental anxiety, but the difference was not significant.

Highlights

Material and Methods: The study was conducted among 263 patients at the Family Medicine Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
Dental anxiety and dental fear refer to strong negative feelings associated with dental treatments, which affect a wide proportion of the population, constituting a significant public and oral health issues [1]
Due to the absence of publications on self-reported periodontal status in Lagos state and studies aiming to correlate its occurrence with dental anxiety, this study aims to determine the relationship between dental anxiety and self-reported periodontal status

Summary

Introduction

Dental anxiety and dental fear refer to strong negative feelings associated with dental treatments, which affect a wide proportion of the population, constituting a significant public and oral health issues [1]. The reported prevalence of dental anxiety among Nigerians varied from as low as 7% to as high as 48.6%. A rate of 13.6% was found among primary school teachers in Tanzania, while studies from Ghana, India, and Saudi Arabia reported a high prevalence of 47.3%, 46%, and 51.6%, respectively [4,5]. Dental anxiety constitutes a major reason why individuals avoid dental consultations and put off appointments as well as exhibit poor compliance [6]. Dentally anxious patients avoid periodontal preventive measures and exhibit poor compliance, which culminates in deteriorating periodontal health [7]. One recent study indicated that 25% of Nigerian population avoided dental treatment except when they were symptomatic and mostly presented with pain [8]

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