Dental fear and anxiety in Asian youths: response components and inducing stimuli

  Objectives This study estimated the prevalence of dental fear/anxiety (DFA) and phobia in Asian youths and investigated the fear/anxiety response components and triggers for those with DFA. Materials and methods A convenience sample of youths, aged 17 to 24 years old, was recruited from a local po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical oral investigations 2022-09, Vol.26 (9), p.5953-5960
Main Authors: Yap, Adrian Ujin, Lee, Darren Zong Ru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Dentistry
Fear
Fear & phobias
Medicine
Needles
Original Article
Statistical analysis
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Summary:  Objectives This study estimated the prevalence of dental fear/anxiety (DFA) and phobia in Asian youths and investigated the fear/anxiety response components and triggers for those with DFA. Materials and methods A convenience sample of youths, aged 17 to 24 years old, was recruited from a local polytechnic. The Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear-4C + (IDAF-4C +) was employed to assess the occurrence of DFA (IDAF-4C) and phobia (IDAF-P) as well as to ascertain fear/anxiety-inducing stimuli (IDAF-S). Psychological distress was determined with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Sociodemographic, IDAF-4C + , dental attendance patterns, and PHQ-4 data were gathered electronically. Statistical analyses were conducted with chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis, and relevant post hoc tests ( α  = 0.05). Results A total of 215 participants were enrolled (mean age of 18.9 ± 2.0 years; 87.4% women). Of these, 12.6/6.0% had moderate-to-high (MH)/high-to-extreme (HE) DFA and 0.9% experienced dental phobia. Significant differences in scores were observed between the HE/MH and no-to-moderate (NM) groups for all IDAF-4C components. Apart from the cost of dental treatment, IDAF-4S scores varied significantly among the three DFA groups. The two most highly rated DFA stimuli were painful/uncomfortable procedures and needles/injections for the HE group, while they were needles/injections and the cost of dental treatment for the MH and NM groups. Conclusions Moderate-to-extreme DFA existed in 18.6% of the Asian youths examined. The emotional and physiological components of the IDAF-4C appear to contribute more to the DFA response. Dental pain including needles/injections and the cost of dental treatment troubled Asian youths the most. Clinical relevance DFA is a common problem among Asian youths, and understanding its extent, nature, and triggers is central for effective interventions.
ISSN:1436-3771
1432-6981
1436-3771
DOI:10.1007/s00784-022-04555-1