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ARTICLE
Year : 2011  |  Volume : 9  |  Issue : 18  |  Page : 436-439

Difference in oral health and oral health behavior between individuals with high and low dental fear


1 Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, People's College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
2 Professor, Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, People's College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
3 Professor and Head, Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, People's College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Correspondence Address:
Sudhanshu Saxena
Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, People's College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
India
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


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Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated that dental fear is associated with poorer dental visiting, deteriorated oral health, low quality of life, and low self esteem. Objectives: (1) To assess the prevalence of dental fear among Indian adults (2) To explore the differences in oral health, oral hygiene and dental visit habits between individuals with high and low dental fear. Materials and Methods: A total of 2000 individuals aged 21 years and above were invited to participate in the study. The method of data collection comprised clinical measurements and self administered questionnaire. Dental fear was measured using the Corah dental anxiety scale. Oral health status was assessed by Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth and; Filled and Sound teeth. Data was statistically analyzed by Student's t tests, Chi-square tests, and multivariate analysis. P value was considered statistically significant. Results: The percentage of individuals with high dental fear varied between from 3.9% to 7.8%. Dental fear had significant effect on filled and sound teeth when adjusted for the other variables. Conclusion: Dental fear is one part of the process determining oral health in different age groups. There is a need to identify and effectively tackle dental fear as an important step in improving oral health of the population.


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