Dental anxiety is not typically associated with orthodontic treatment because of the lack of evoking stimuli (i.e., drills, needles). Its prevalence in orthodontic patients is unknown but reported anecdotally. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of and factors contributing to dental anxiety in future and current orthodontic patients.
University dental clinics and private orthodontic office patients completed a questionnaire including the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), MDAS-Ortho (both scored 1-not anxious to 5-extremely anxious; sum score >15=dentally anxious), and list of concerns about orthodontic treatment. 675 patients participated (60.4% private practice; 64.3% female; 24.9% new patients; 85.5% aged 12-20 years). University clinic patients reported significantly higher MDAS and MDASO scores (p<0.05). 22.8% were dentally anxious and 18.7% anxious about orthodontic treatment, with concerns related to their relationship with the orthodontist, perceptions of orthodontic treatment and treatment factors. Results confirm dental anxiety in orthodontic patients and factors contributing to that anxiety.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/31416 |
| Date | 20 December 2011 |
| Creators | Roy, Joanie |
| Contributors | Dempster, Laura |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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