PREVALENCE OF DENTOPHOBIA AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS - A CROSS SECTIONAL SURVEY

Authors

  • Priyanka Sivasubramanian, Dhanraj M. Ganapathy, L. Keerthi Sasanka

Abstract

Background: - The fear when turned to extreme adverse conditions is termed as phobia. Dentophobia or fear of dentists is a common phobia among people of all ages. It is sometimes related to iatrophobia, fear of doctors as well as trypanophobia, and fear of needles. Dentophobia may be mild or severe and can eventually lead to serious health issues. It is also known as dental fear, dental anxiety, dentist phobia or odontophobia or dental phobia; they all have the same meaning. Many patients do get slightly nervous when it comes to visiting a dentist; those feelings may not be considered under phobias. When an extreme fear manifests itself and a huge feeling of dread occurs before every appointment we can class that as dentophobia. The study evidence shows that the aetiology of dental fear, anxiety or phobia is complex and multifunctional.

Aim: - The aim of the study was to identify if any of the participants have a fear of going to the dentist.

Materials and methods: - The study conducted was a cross-sectional study. A self-designed questionnaire was prepared consisting of 9 questions, and distributed through an online platform (Google forms). Total participants that took part in the survey were 97. The data collected were tabulated and analysed through SPSS software (version 23)

Results :- The study conducted revealed that 8.25% of the respondents have a fear of getting a dental checkup, while 49.48% have slight anxiety but are not subjected to fear during a dental appointment. The remaining 42.27% participants do not seem to have any fear of going to the dentist. Hence the majority of the participants do not acquire any help to cope with their dental checkups and in maintaining their oral health.

It was observed that 48.45% out of female participants were comfortable sharing their fear towards dental checkups, while 37.11% out of male participants were comfortable sharing their fear towards dental checkups. This comparison was found statistically asymptotically significant with a p-value of 0.000. It was also observed that 20.62% out of the male and female have experienced a traumatic experience with the dentist. 27.84% and 20.62% of the female and male participants respectively have rarely experienced a traumatic experience with the dentist, while 10.31% out of the males never experienced a traumatic experience with the dentist. This comparison was found statically asymptotically significant with a p-value of 0.004.

Conclusion: - From the results obtained it can be perceived that the respondents have a slight fear or anxiety to visit a dentist. However it is not extreme to be considered a phobia. The majority of the respondent’s condition regarding meeting a dentist or having a dentist appointment need not be looked upon as a phobia that needs assistance. However the participants who seem to be having extreme fear and anxiety which could be a phobia should seek help and assistance at the earliest.

Published

2021-08-11

How to Cite

Priyanka Sivasubramanian, Dhanraj M. Ganapathy, L. Keerthi Sasanka. (2021). PREVALENCE OF DENTOPHOBIA AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS - A CROSS SECTIONAL SURVEY. Drugs and Cell Therapies in Hematology, 10(3), 2683–2697. Retrieved from http://dcth.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1173

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