Oral Health Centre of Expertise in Eastern Norway, 0369 Oslo, Norway.
Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, 03101 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 14;20(4):3343. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043343.
Dental anxiety (DA) is a prevalent public health issue. However, there is a lack of self-administered DA interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term effects of web-based interventions aiming to reduce DA in adults in two European countries. A pretest posttest design was used. Tailor-made websites were developed in Lithuania and Norway. Volunteers who self-reported DA were invited to participate. DA levels measured by the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) were assessed at baseline and after two weeks via online questionnaires. The interventions were completed by 34 participants in Lithuania and 35 participants in Norway. In Lithuania, the median posttest MDAS score (9.5, IQR 5.25) decreased compared to the median pretest MDAS score (14.5, IQR 8; Z value = -4.246, < 0.001). The same was found in Norway-the median posttest MDAS score (12, IQR 9) was lower compared to the median pretest MDAS score (15, IQR 7; Z value = -3.818, < 0.001). The present study demonstrated that two tailor-made web-based interventions had the potential to reduce dental anxiety levels when assessed in the short term in Lithuania and Norway. Studies with more controlled designs assessing long-term outcomes are needed to validate the results of this pilot study also in other cultures.
牙齿焦虑症（DA）是一个普遍存在的公共卫生问题。然而，目前缺乏自我管理的 DA 干预措施。本研究旨在评估两种欧洲国家针对成年人的基于网络的干预措施在短期内减少 DA 的效果。采用了预测试后测试设计。在立陶宛和挪威分别开发了定制网站。邀请自我报告 DA 的志愿者参加。通过在线问卷在基线和两周后评估使用改良牙科焦虑量表（MDAS）测量的 DA 水平。立陶宛有 34 名参与者完成了干预，挪威有 35 名参与者完成了干预。在立陶宛，与 MDAS 测试的中位数术前得分（14.5，IQR8）相比，术后得分（9.5，IQR5.25）中位数明显降低（Z 值=-4.246，<0.001）。在挪威也发现了同样的结果-与 MDAS 测试的中位数术前得分（15，IQR7）相比，术后得分（12，IQR9）中位数明显降低（Z 值=-3.818，<0.001）。本研究表明，两种定制的基于网络的干预措施在短期内有可能降低立陶宛和挪威的牙齿焦虑水平。需要进行更多具有对照设计的研究来评估长期结果，以验证该试点研究在其他文化中的结果。
