[Correlation between dental status and dental anxiety].

The relationship between dental status and dental anxiety was analysed in 165 patients. To assess the dental status, D3.4 MFS-index and Bleeding-on-Probing-Index (BOP) were applied. Dental anxiety was assessed using dental anxiety rating, whereas aspects of state and trait anxiety were analysed by the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory. The hypothesis was: higher levels of dental anxiety lead to avoiding check-ups and necessary treatment, the consequence of which is a deterioration of the dental status. No significant correlation was found between dental anxiety and dental status. A significant difference was found when comparing patients with high or low dental anxiety in respect of the D3.4 MFS-index, whereas a different trend was found on comparing these groups for BOP-index. In addition, a significant correlation was found between dental anxiety and trait anxiety. These results suggest that dental anxiety is a rather non-specific phenomenon, since it is an aspect of proneness to anxiety. In addition, in patients who display considerably high dental anxiety, this may lead to anxiety denial and abnormal behaviour (e.g. avoidance of dental hygiene or care) thus contributing to further deterioration of oral health.