Table 3.
Relationships between the presence of dental fear, negative dental experiences, and the level of dental anxiety.
| Question (Characteristic) | Answer | Frequency n (%) |
MDAS Score β (95% CI) |
p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental fear | Never | 457 (29.5) | Reference | |
| Used to be, not now | 711 (45.8) | 0.642 (0.241–1.043) | 0.002 * | |
| Always | 383 (24.7) | 3.025 (2.390–3.659) | ≤0.001 * | |
| Aversive dental experience | No | 740 (47.7) | Reference | |
| Yes | 811 (52.3) | 0.093 (−0.210–0.395) | 0.548 | |
| First aversive experience | Never | 324 (20.9) | Reference | |
| Childhood | 820 (52.9) | 0.301 (−0.211–0.814) | 0.249 | |
| Adolescence | 198 (12.8) | 0.422 (−0.189–1.033) | 0.176 | |
| Adult | 102 (6.6) | 0.190 (−0.515–0.895) | 0.598 | |
| Unknown | 107 (6.9) | 0.322 (−0.318–0.963) | 0.324 | |
| Fear acquisition | No fear | 546 (35.2) | Reference | |
| Personal adverse experience | 561 (36.2) | 1.297 (0.909–1.684) | ≤0.001 * | |
| Indirectly acquired | 174 (11.2) | 1.296 (0.842–1.750) | ≤0.001 * | |
| Fearful personality | 200 (12.9) | 1.814 (1.313–2.316) | ≤0.001 * | |
| Other | 70 (4.5) | 0.917 (0.243–1.591) | 0.008 * | |
| Pre-procedure analgesic use | Never | 1243 (80.1) | Reference | |
| Rarely | 166 (10.7) | −0.008 (−0.432–0.416) | 0.971 | |
| Sometimes | 107 (6.9) | 0.627 (0.010–1.245) | 0.051 | |
| Often | 14 (0.9) | 20.458 (−35,576.386–35,617.303) | 0.999 | |
| Always | 21 (1.4) | 19.898 (−29,394.045–29,433.841) | 0.999 | |
| Pre-procedure sedative use | Never | 1440 (92.8) | Reference | |
| Rarely | 51 (3.3) | 0.547 (−0.255–1.348) | 0.181 | |
| Sometimes | 33 (2.1) | 0.395 (−1.192–1.983) | 0.626 | |
| Often | 10 (0.6) | −0.054 (−2.487–2.379) | 0.965 | |
| Always | 17 (1.1) | 19.786 (−29,629.003–29,668.575) | 0.999 | |
| Pre-procedure local anaesthesia use | Never | 420 (27.1) | Reference | |
| Rarely | 229 (14.8) | −0.174 (−0.582–0.235) | 0.405 | |
| Sometimes | 301 (19.4) | 0.071 (−0.303–0.445) | 0.709 | |
| Often | 199 (12.8) | 0.358 (−0.090–0.807) | 0.117 | |
| Always | 402 (25.9) | 0.058 (−0.318–0.435) | 0.761 | |
Data are presented as numbers (percentages) and regression coefficients (95% confidence interval). The reference MDAS score category was “low”. MDAS, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale; β, regression coefficient. * Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.