DeDonno Michael A
Department of Psychology, Barry Uiversity, Miami Shores, Florida, USA.
Oral Health Prev Dent. 2012;10(2):129-33.
The present study investigated the effects of dental anxiety and dental visits on oral hygiene practices, which included brushing, flossing and amount of time brushing.
The study included a dental questionnaire developed to measure aspects of dental visits, oral hygiene and dental anxiety. A demographic questionnaire included questions pertaining to age, ethnicity and citizenship. Participants included 77 undergraduate students attending a diverse southern United States university enrolled in psychology courses.
Linear regression was conducted to explore the association between dental anxiety and oral hygiene practices. Results revealed the model explained a significant proportion of variance in oral hygiene practices, R2 = 0.141, F(1,76) = 12.441, P < 0.001. Specifically, higher dental anxiety was associated with poorer oral hygiene practices. A correlation was conducted to investigate the association between dental visits and oral hygiene practices. Results revealed a correlation between dental visits and brushing r(75) = 0.342, P = 0.002, and flossing frequency r(75) = 0.294, P = 0.009. There was no association between visits to the dentist and time spent brushing teeth.
Results indicate that dental anxiety is associated with oral hygiene practices. Additionally, those who visit the dentist more often have somewhat better oral hygiene practices. The present study indicates that there may be a learned association between dental anxiety and oral hygiene practices. Methods of education can be developed to disassociate anxieties that may inhibit optimum oral hygiene practices. It may also be beneficial for dental professionals to emphasise the value of the amount of time patients spend brushing their teeth.
本研究调查了牙科焦虑和看牙经历对口腔卫生习惯的影响，这些习惯包括刷牙、使用牙线以及刷牙时间。
该研究采用了一份牙科问卷，用于测量看牙经历、口腔卫生和牙科焦虑等方面。一份人口统计学问卷包含了与年龄、种族和公民身份相关的问题。研究对象包括77名就读于美国南部一所多元化大学心理学课程的本科生。
进行线性回归以探讨牙科焦虑与口腔卫生习惯之间的关联。结果显示该模型解释了口腔卫生习惯中很大一部分方差，R2 = 0.141，F(1,76) = 12.441，P < 0.001。具体而言，较高的牙科焦虑与较差的口腔卫生习惯相关。进行相关性分析以研究看牙经历与口腔卫生习惯之间的关联。结果显示看牙经历与刷牙之间存在相关性，r(75) = 0.342，P = 0.002，与使用牙线频率之间存在相关性，r(75) = 0.294，P = 0.009。看牙医次数与刷牙时间之间没有关联。
结果表明牙科焦虑与口腔卫生习惯相关。此外，看牙次数较多的人口腔卫生习惯稍好。本研究表明牙科焦虑与口腔卫生习惯之间可能存在习得性关联。可以开发教育方法来消除可能抑制最佳口腔卫生习惯的焦虑。牙科专业人员强调患者刷牙时间的价值可能也有益处。
