Association between dental anxiety and general anxiety and depression

Introduction: Severe dental anxiety has been suggested to be associated with general anxiety and depression.

Objective: To evaluate the association between dental anxiety and general anxiety and depression in patients attending dental practice.

Methods: The data were collected in 2006 among adult (aged 18 years or over) patients attending for dental treatment in public health centers in the town of Pori, Finland. The patients were given a questionnaire that assessed dental anxiety, anxiety and depression. Of a sample of 823 patients 74% (n=698) correctly completed the questionnaires. Dental anxiety was measured with the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale. People with values 5-18 were categorized as low to moderate dental anxiety group and those with values 19-25 as high anxiety group. Anxiety and depression were measured with the 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale which was divided into two separate subscales: depression (HAD-D) and anxiety (HAD-A). Both subscales have seven items and the scores were classified as normal (0-7), possible case (8-10) and probable case (11-21). The statistical significances of the differences in the prevalences of anxiety and depression between participants with and without dental anxiety were evaluated with Chi-square tests.

Results: Of the dentally anxious 40.7% reported the HAD-A scores that were considered normal, 27.1% reported as possible cases and 32.2% scores considered as probable anxiety cases while corresponding percentages among not dentally anxious were 85.4%, 9.2% and 5.3%, respectively (p=0.000). According to HAD-D scores 88.1% of dentally anxious were considered as normal, 6.8% as possible cases and 5.1% depression probable cases while corresponding percentages among the low or moderate dentally anxious respondents were 93.7%, 5.0% and 1.3%, respectively (p=0.062).

Conclusions: Dental anxiety is associated with general anxiety but not with depression.

Acknowledgement: This study was supported by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation.