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VOLUME 1 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2024 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Oral Health Literacy Levels and Dental Anxiety in General Dental Patients

Rohit I Dhole, Payal S Shete, Bhagyoday N Barewad, Atulkumar A Patil

Keywords : Correlation analysis, Cross-sectional study, Dental anxiety, General dental patients, Oral health literacy

Citation Information : Dhole RI, Shete PS, Barewad BN, Patil AA. Oral Health Literacy Levels and Dental Anxiety in General Dental Patients. J Dent bio allied Health Sci 2024; 1 (1):15-17.

DOI: 10.5005/jdbahs-11017-0006

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 19-06-2024

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2024; The Author(s).


Abstract

Background: Critical variables impacting oral health outcomes and patient experiences in dental treatment include dental anxiety and oral health literacy (OHL). The purpose of this research is to examine the correlation between OHL levels and dental anxiety in the general population. Materials and methods: Three hundred people who often visit dentist offices participated in a cross-sectional survey. A validated questionnaire was used to examine OHL levels, and the dental anxiety scale (DAS) was used to quantify dental anxiety. The relationship between OHL levels and dental anxiety was investigated using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. Results: With a mean age of 35 years (SD = 8.6), 52% of the 300 participants were male. While 27% had very high OHL levels, 63% had intermediate levels. The ratings for dental anxiety varied from 20 to 80, with a mean of 45 and a standard deviation of 12.3. Higher levels of OHL were linked to lower levels of dental anxiety, as shown by a strong negative correlation between the two variables (r = –0.32, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Anxiety about the dentist is significantly correlated with OHL levels, according to this research. One way to help people feel more comfortable going to the dentist and have a better experience overall might be to increase their oral health knowledge.


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