Prevalence, characteristics and consequences of dental anxiety in a randomly selected sample of 645 Danish adults were explored in telephone interviews. Participation rate was 88%. Demographics, fear of specific procedures, negative dentist contacts, general fear tendency, treatment utilization and perceived oral conditions were explored by level of dental anxiety using a modified Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). A Seattle fear survey item and a summary item from the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) were also included for fear description comparisons. Correlation between these indices (DAS-DFS: rs = 0.72; DAS-Seattle item: rs = 0.68) aided semantic validation of DAS anxiety intensity levels. Extreme dental anxiety (DAS > or = 15) was found in 4.2% of the sample and 6% reported moderate anxiety (DAS scores 14-12). Bivariate (B) and logistic regression (L) odds ratios (OR) showed that high dental anxiety was associated with gender, education and income, but not with age. Extreme dental anxiety for dentate subjects was characterized by fear of drilling (ORL = 38.7), negative dentist contacts (ORL = 9.3), general fear tendency (ORL = 3.4), avoidance of treatment (ORL = 16.8) and increased oral symptoms (ORB = 4.4). Moderate dental anxiety was also related to drilling (ORL = 22.3), but with less avoidance due to anxiety (ORL = 6.8) compared with low fear subjects.

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Abstract— A clinical and radiographic study was undertaken on 1,600 periapical lesions from 1,133 patients referred for extractions or apicoectomies. The clinical findings as well as the radiographic size (diameter) of the lesions were recorded. When this diameter measured less than 5 mm, the pathologic tissue was left in the bone after extraction, whereas in cases where the lesions were 5 mm or more, an excochleation was done and the specimens subjected to a routine histologic examination. In the group consisting of 753 controlled periapical lesions less than 5 mm in diameter all cases healed uneventfully within two years. The distribution of all periapical lesions according to regions was found to be in good correlation with caries frequency. Likewise the distribution within the dental arch of histologically verified granulomas and cysts was compared with earlier reports. A statistically significant higher proportion of cysts was found in the premolar than in the molar region (0.025 > P > 0.02), whereas the opposite was true regarding granulomas. The preoperative radiographic diagnosis showed only poor correlation with the histologic diagnosis. Fistulae occurred more often in connection with granulomas than with cysts (statistically significant, 0.025 > P > 0.01).

The safety of amalgam and other restorative materials has caused concern among dental patients in recent years. The aim of this study was to obtain information on dentists' perceived competence in handling different filling materials and their opinions on the safety of these. A random sample of practising dentists in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden received a mail question‐naire in spring 1990. Answers were received from 1732 dentists (65%). The study showed that the respondents believed that their theoretic knowledge and clinical skills were generally at a high level regarding restorative materials. The risks of the side‐effects of gold, ceramic materials, and glass ionomer were considered to be low by about 90% of the respondents. Amalgam was considered to be significantly more hazardous by the Swedish respondents than the others. Interestingly, composite was considered to be associated with a high risk of side‐effects by about half of the dentists in all Nordic countries. The dentists' opinions were not found to be greatly influenced by their sex, age, or place of residence but rather by their country and service sector. Against the background of the present lack of scientific evidence on the hazardousness of amalgam or other restorative materials for patients' general health, these findings indicate that dentists are influenced by discussions in the mass media about dental treatment and materials and, of course, by the guidelines given by the health authorities in their own countries. Few dentists were shown to be concerned about occupational risks associated with the use of amalgam, and they had not had their own amalgam fillings replaced. Thus, Nordic dentists seem prepared to continue to use amalgam as one of several dental restorative materials while waiting for technically and biologically more satisfactory ones.