Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
Eur J Oral Sci. 2021 Aug;129(4):e12793. doi: 10.1111/eos.12793. Epub 2021 May 4.
Dental anxiety is a crucial problem for dentistry because it may represent a significant risk to oral health. Different factors, whether non-cognitive (e.g., traumatic dental events) or cognitive (e.g., the patient's subjective perceptions), may cause dental anxiety. However, previous studies have assessed these factors as independent predictors of dental anxiety, without providing any exploration of potential mediational pathways. The current study assessed the role of certain cognitive dimensions (i.e., the dentist's perceived professionalism and communicational attitudes, and the patient's perceived lack of control) as mediators between traumatic dental events and dental anxiety. The sample comprised 253 patients who had accessed a public university hospital dental surgery. The mediation analysis used a structural equation modeling. Traumatic dental events were positively associated with dental anxiety but, among the cognitive factors, only lack of control was. Furthermore, lack of control mediated the relationship between traumatic dental events and dental anxiety, although this mediation was only partial. This study sheds light on the mechanisms through which non-cognitive and cognitive factors may affect dental anxiety. The clinical implications for dental practice, in terms of improving the psychological well-being of patients, are discussed.
牙科焦虑是牙科领域的一个重要问题，因为它可能对口腔健康构成重大风险。不同的因素，无论是非认知因素（例如，创伤性牙科事件）还是认知因素（例如，患者的主观感知），都可能导致牙科焦虑。然而，先前的研究已经评估了这些因素作为牙科焦虑的独立预测因素，但没有提供任何对潜在中介途径的探索。本研究评估了某些认知维度（即牙医的感知专业性和沟通态度，以及患者感知的缺乏控制）在创伤性牙科事件和牙科焦虑之间的中介作用。样本包括 253 名曾在一所公立大学医院牙科就诊的患者。中介分析使用结构方程模型进行。创伤性牙科事件与牙科焦虑呈正相关，但在认知因素中，只有缺乏控制是。此外，缺乏控制中介了创伤性牙科事件和牙科焦虑之间的关系，但这种中介作用只是部分的。本研究揭示了非认知和认知因素可能影响牙科焦虑的机制。讨论了牙科实践在改善患者心理健康方面的临床意义。
