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BMC Oral Health
Published in: BMC Oral Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Dental fear and its possible relationship with periodontal status in Chinese adults: a preliminary study

Authors: Yeungyeung Liu, Xin Huang, Yuxia Yan, Hanxiao Lin, Jincai Zhang, Dongying Xuan

Published in: BMC Oral Health | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

The aim of the present study was to describe the characteristics of dental fear of Chinese adult patients with periodontal disease and provide information for clinical assessment.

Methods

A total of 1203 dental patients completed questionnaires that included Corach’s Dental Anxiety Scales (DAS), Dental Fear Survey (DFS) and the short-form Dental Anxiety Inventory (S-DAI). Among all the patients, 366 cases were self-reported periodontal disease. The general characteristics were described, such as socio-demographics, dental attendances and oral health behaviors. The statistical analysis was performed by t-test, Mann–Whitney U test and linear regression respectively to evaluate correlations between dental fear and general characteristics according to the three scales.

Results

The prevalence of dental fear was 74% among 1203 patients, 23.4% of total with high dental fear, while 27.3% in the patients with periodontal disease. The average score of DAS and DFS for patients with periodontal disease was significantly higher than those without periodontal disease. The regression analysis indicated that gender, age, periodontal status, dental attendances and oral health behaviors were correlated with dental fear. Among 366 patients with periodontal disease, gender, dental attendances and oral health behaviors had correlation with dental fear. The analysis of DFS scale exhibited that ‘drilling with handpiece’ and ‘injecting the anesthetic’ were the most important factors to contribute to dental fear.

Conclusions

There was high prevalence of dental fear in Chinese adult patients, particularly in patients with periodontal disease, and high level of dental fear may lead to poor periodontal status.
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Metadata
Title
Dental fear and its possible relationship with periodontal status in Chinese adults: a preliminary study
Authors
Yeungyeung Liu
Xin Huang
Yuxia Yan
Hanxiao Lin
Jincai Zhang
Dongying Xuan
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Oral Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6831
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-15-18

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