Dental fear and anxiety in an adult Icelandic population

Abstract

This study was carried out on a random sample drawn from participants in a population-based survey in Reykjavík, Iceland. The sample consisted of 1548 people, men and women, born in 1914-63 (age range, 25-74 years) who lived in and around Reykjavík and a rural area in southern Iceland. The results from a single, modified Dental Anxiety Question (DAQ), designed to classify fear or anxiety into five different levels or categories, were compared with respect to age, oral status, extent of edentulousness, and education level. Of the whole sample 10% admitted to having considerable or more than considerable fear, while 5% classified their fear as extensive or more than extensive. Only 0.3%, however, said that it prevented dental visits. Fear was influenced by sex, as significantly more women experienced some level of fear (P < 0.001) and described their fear as considerable or extensive (P < 0.001). Fear was more common in the younger age groups among both sexes. A significant correlation was found between the number of decayed teeth and anxiety among the men, and patients of both sexes who admitted to fear had significantly fewer fillings. Fear was significantly more common in the rural than the urban population (P < 0.001). Edentulousness, or number of remaining teeth, did not seem to be significantly reflected in the extent of dental fear. People with higher education levels reported less dental fear.