THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENTAL STATUS AN D FEAR OF THE DENTIST (DENTAL ANXIETY)

The relationship between dental status and dental anxiety was analysed in 165 patients. To assess the dental status, D3.4 MFS-index and Blee ding-on-Probing-Index (BOP) were applied. Dental anxiety was assessed using dental anxiety rating, whereas aspects of state and trait anxiet y were analysed by the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory. The hypothesis w as: higher levels of dental anxiety lead to avoiding check-ups and nec essary treatment, the consequence of which is a deterioration of the d ental status. No significant correlation was found between dental anxi ety and dental status. A significant difference was found when compari ng patients with high or low dental anxiety in respect of the D3.4 MFS -index, whereas a different trend was found on comparing these groups for BOP-index. In addition, a significant correlation was found betwee n dental anxiety and trait anxiety. These results suggest that dental anxiety is a rather non-specific phenomenon, since it is an aspect of proneness to anxiety, In addition, in patients who display considerabl y high dental anxiety, this may lead to anxiety denial and abnormal be haviour (e.g. avoidance of dental hygiene or care) thus contributing t o further deterioration of oral health.