Authors:
- Kristina Surina – Dental Medicine Practice Milišić Davor, dr.med.dent., Omišalj
- Tanja Grahovac Juretić – Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Psychiatry Clinic; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine
- Fadil Habibović – Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Psychiatry Clinic
- Borna Šarić – University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Integrated Graduate University Study of Medicine
- Ivana Ljubičić Bistrović – Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Psychiatry Clinic; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine
Article type:
Original Scientific Paper
Abstract:
This paper assessed the relationship between anxiety and dental anxiety, as well as the influence of those two conditions on patients’ dental habits and their level of informedness about dental procedures. Since dental treatment used to be associated with negative connotations, we tried to examine if the attitude towards dental procedures has changed. We have also examined the link between how much patients inform themselves about dental procedures and their (dental) anxiety level, as well as whether the frequent internet usage in everyday life contributes to browsing for information. The research included 150 participants, with an average age of 45.8. In conducting this research, the following instruments were used: sociodemographic questionnaire, STAI-X-1 questionnaire, DAS questionnaire, and a questionnaire concerning dental habits. According to the results of the study, there is no statistically significant difference in the degree of anxiety measured by the STAI-X-1 and the DAS questionnaire. Average overall sum in STAI questionnaire is 44.3 (SD 9.18), on scale of 20 to 80, while the average response was 2.2. On the DAS scale the participants averaged 8.5 (SD 3.5), a result which corresponds to a lower level of mild dental anxiety. It is evident that 44.7% of the participants don’t have dental anxiety, while 38% have mild anxiety. When assessing the level of informedness about their dental procedure, the majority of participants were informed by their dental medicine doctor as follows: about dental plaque removal 81.3%, about tooth repair 92.7%, about tooth nerve treatment and/or removal 89.3%, and about tooth extraction 89.3%. It is interesting that the participants who were informed about tooth extraction by their doctor of dental medicine averagely scored higher on the DAS scale than those who weren’t. The research did not display any link between anxiety and dental anxiety or the influence of anxiety on the patients’ dental habits and their informedness about dental procedures. It has been established that the statistically significant majority obtain information from their dental medicine doctor.
Keywords:
anxiety, dental anxiety, dental patient, dental habits