This study aimed to investigate the nature of dental anxiety among undergraduate students of a national university in Brunei Darussalam. Participants were undergraduate students from different faculties of a national university. It was a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire that included their personal demographics, the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questions and questions regarding their last dental visit. The degree of anxiety was compared in relation to different factors as mentioned above. Data collected was analyzed using independent t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results showed that the frequency of dental anxiety among the undergraduate students was 70.8%. The mean total MDAS score was 12.3 ± 4.28. Females (13.5±5.12) were more dentally anxious than males (12.2±4.73) (p=0.027). There was a significant difference in the mean MDAS score (p < 0.001) when comparing patterns of dental visits with dental anxiety. More students were fearful of local anesthetic injection than getting tooth drilled. (4) Conclusion: Dental anxiety still remains as one of the obstacles that clinicians face. More studies need to be done to provide a better understanding on how dental anxiety can affect the pattern of dental visits. Future studies should explore the etiology of dental anxiety. This study helps to create awareness on the presence of dental anxiety amongst the existent population group and also to aid clinicians in identifying areas of dentistry where patients are most anxious about in order to come up with a suitable treatment plan.

It is known that the oral health status of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) is likely to be compromised as compared with the general population. Until recently, the trend of oral hygiene among the adult population with intellectual disabilities in Brunei Darussalam had yet to be studied. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the oral hygiene practices, oral health knowledge and dental appointment patterns among the adult population with IDs in Brunei Darussalam. A cross-sectional study was conducted at different service providers in Brunei Darussalam for adults with IDs. An easy-to-read questionnaire was distributed to the participants. The responses of the questionnaire for IDs were analyzed. A total of 34 participants were recruited. It was found that all participants were practicing their daily oral hygiene routine. In terms of dental visits, more than half visit the dentist at least once a year. The majority of the participants agreed that visiting the dentist every 6 months was essential. This study showed that adults with IDs in Brunei Darussalam were aware of the importance of oral health and were maintaining their daily oral hygiene, although not with the ideal method. It is important for clinicians to not only educate the individuals with IDs but also their carer(s) when it comes to oral health knowledge, as carers play a key role in the oral health of the people under their care.