53 - Prevalence of Dental Anxiety And Associated Triggers in Young Adults

Abstract:

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of dental anxiety and identify the key factors associated with dental anxiety among young adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 435 university students from Western Illinois University (WIU). Three survey instruments (sociodemographic questionnaire, modified Corah’s dental anxiety scale (MDAS), and dental concerns assessment tool (DCA)) were distributed via email to the students using the survey monkey. The dependent variable was the mean MDAS scores while the independent variables were the sociodemographic and dental concern/fear assessment variables. The bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted using one-way ANOVA and multiple linear regression, respectively. The final model was selected based on Akaike information Criteria (AIC) using the backward stepwise technique with alpha level set at 0.05.

Results: The mean MDAS Score was 13.41 (SD 5.42). The multivariable analyses found 10 key variables (age, frequency of dental visit, sound or vibration of the drill, fear of feeling pain during treatment, injection in the mouth, the sound or feel of scraping during teeth cleaning, root canal treatment, panic attacks, concern of being embarrassed, concern about need a lot of dental treatment) to be associative predictors of dental anxiety among the students.

Conclusion: There is a high burden of dental anxiety among WIU students. More frequent exposure to the clinic environment through regular routine visit to plays a huge role in reducing the burden of dental anxiety. There is a need to focus on more non-invasive and preventive interventions to limit the triggers of dental anxiety.

Source of Funding: None