Journal of Dental Research, Vol 76, 1287-1291, Copyright © 1997 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Changes in self-reported dental anxiety in New Zealand adolescents from ages 15 to 18 years
W. M. Thomson, R. G. Poulton, E. Kruger, S. Davies, R. H. Brown and P. A. Silva
Department of Community Dental Health, School of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Little is understood of the natural history of dental anxiety. The aim of
this study was to examine three-year changes in self-reported dental
anxiety among adolescent participants in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary
Health and Development Study. Dental anxiety was estimated at ages 15 and
18 by means of the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). A DAS score of 13+
defined high dental anxiety. Participants were assigned to one of four
dental-anxiety study groups (Chronic, Incident, Remitted, or Never) on the
basis of changes in reported level of anxiety from ages 15 to 18. Results
are reported for the 691 participants who completed the DAS at both ages.
The sample's overall dental anxiety score decreased significantly from age
15 (mean, 8.79) to 18 (8.52) (paired t test, t = 2.37; P < 0.05). The
Chronic and Never groups had small negative DAS increments, the Incident
group showed a substantial positive increment, and the Remitted group
recorded an even larger negative increment. Multivariate analysis showed
that the DAS score at age 15 was the sole predictor of the change in DAS
score for the Chronic and Remitted groups, and was a co-predictor for the
Incident and Never groups. An episodic dental visiting pattern was a strong
predictor of a positive change in DAS score for the Incident group; and for
the Never group, a higher DMFS score at age 15 predicted a positive change
in DAS score at 18, but being female was predictive of a decrement. This
study indicates lower stability of dental anxiety in late adolescence than
has been reported from other age groups.
