Dental phobia: Prevalence and anxiety factors in the city of Mahajanga

Abstract

Introduction: One of the obstacles to dental care in the general population is dental phobia. Fear of the dentist has a negative impact on oral health, as well as the course of dental care. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of dental phobias in the Mahajanga’s population. Method: This is a descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study, using the MDSA scale or modified Corah scale. A cluster survey was conducted to constitute the sample. Results: The study population was 210, among them 57, 2% were women with a sex ratio of 0.73; the age of the study population ranged from 18 to 60 years old, 40% were in the age group of 18 to 35 years old. Age was significantly associated with the occurrence of dental phobia. Anxiogenic factors observed were: the noise of instruments (p = 0.000), anesthesia (p = 0.000) and fear of pain (p = 0.000). Conclusion: This study has shown that dental phobia exists in our society. Improving communication between caregivers and the patient could improve care in the dental environment.

State of play of odontophobia in the urban commune of Toliara

“…Authors report that the intensity of anxiety in the face of instrument noise is positively correlated with the occurrence of dental phobia [8,23]. This finding was also reported in this study.…”

“…In this study, a significant difference was found between dental phobia and the degree of anxiety about the injection of anesthesia. This result agrees with that of Raciene, as well as Randriamalala et al The authors report that anesthesia is a high risk factor for the occurrence of dental care phobia with p=0.000 [8,18]. This could be explained by the sight of the needle and the pain caused by the injections.…”

“…A significant statistical difference was observed between the avoidance of oral check-ups (p=0.003), avoidance of dental care (p=0.009), the consequences on oral health and the MDSA scale (Table 4). [8]. The prevalence varies from one study to another.…”