Table 1.

Characteristics of the study participants.

Variables		Frequency	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	57	31.1
	Female	126	68.9
Age (years)	18–30	57	31.1
	30–45	66	36.1
	46–60	48	26.2
	60–70+	12	6.6
Educational level	Uneducated	36	19.7
	High school	67	36.6
	Degree/diploma	59	32.2
	Postgraduation	21	11.5
Employment	Employed (full time)	87	47.5
	Unemployed	24	13.1
	Student	42	23.0
	Retired	30	16.4
Self-perceived oral health	Good	32	17.5
	Average	101	55.2
	Poor	50	27.3
Dental experience	Yes	114	62.3
	No	69	37.7
First dental visit	<12 years old	43	23.5
	12–18 years old	82	44.8
	>18 years old	58	31.7
First dental experience	Good	56	30.6
	Not bad	77	42.1
	Bad	50	27.3
Frequency of dental visits	Every 6 months	72	39.3
	Every 12 months	49	26.8
	Less frequent/when needed	62	33.9
Most recent dental experience	Good	108	59.0
	Bad	75	41.0
The length of time since the most recent dental visit	Within 3 months	82	44.8
	3–12 months	54	29.5
	Longer than 12 months	47	25.7
Postponement of the dental visit	Yes	110	60.1
	No	73	39.9
MDAS score		13.63 (3.1)∗
MDAS score level	Less	36	19.7
	Moderate	128	69.9
	Severe	19	10.4

^∗Mean (SD), descriptive and frequency analyses.