Sukumaran Ishani, Taylor Shay, Thomson W Murray
Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Int Dent J. 2020 Sep 14;71(2):122-6. doi: 10.1111/idj.12613.
To describe the prevalence and impact of dental anxiety in the New Zealand adult population.
Secondary analysis of data from the 2009 New Zealand national oral health survey. Dental anxiety was measured using the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS).
The prevalence of dental anxiety was 13.3% (95% CI = 11.4, 15.6). On average, DAS scores were higher by 14% among females, lower among those in the oldest age group (55+), higher by 10% among those in the European/Other ethnic category, and higher by 10% among those residing in the most deprived neighbourhoods. Those who were dentally anxious had greater oral disease experience and were less likely to have visited a dentist within the previous 12 months. They also had poorer oral health-related quality of life, with the highest prevalence of OHIP-14 impacts observed in dentally anxious 35- to 54-year-olds.
Dental anxiety is a dental public health problem. It is an important contributor to poor oral health and care avoidance among New Zealanders. There is a need to develop both clinical and population-level interventions aimed at reducing the condition's prevalence and impact.
描述新西兰成年人口中牙科焦虑症的患病率及其影响。
对2009年新西兰全国口腔健康调查数据进行二次分析。使用牙科焦虑量表（DAS）测量牙科焦虑症。
牙科焦虑症的患病率为13.3%（95%置信区间=11.4，15.6）。平均而言，女性的DAS得分高14%，年龄最大组（55岁及以上）得分较低，欧洲/其他族裔得分高10%，居住在最贫困社区的得分高10%。牙科焦虑症患者有更多的口腔疾病经历，且在过去12个月内看牙医的可能性较小。他们的口腔健康相关生活质量也较差，在35至54岁的牙科焦虑症患者中观察到的OHIP-14影响患病率最高。
牙科焦虑症是一个牙科公共卫生问题。它是导致新西兰人口腔健康不良和回避口腔护理的一个重要因素。有必要制定临床和人群层面的干预措施，以降低该病的患病率及其影响。
