Dental anxiety and its influencing factors among pregnant women in Shanghai

Abstract

Objective To investigate the incidence of dental anxiety in pregnant women and its influencing factors. Methods A total of 2 638 pregnant women in Shanghai were included in this study. Data on demographic and social factors, oral health behaviors and the number of teeth were collected. Participants completed the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS), and an MDAS score greater than 12 was defined as a dental anxiety disorder. An electronic data capture system (EDC) was used to establish a database, and SPSS 22.0 was used to analyze the degree of anxiety and its influencing factors. Results A total of 2 638 valid questionnaires were received. The incidence of dental anxiety in pregnant women was 34.9%. The results of a univariate analysis showed that the prevalence of dental anxiety in pregnant women (P1).The results of a negative binomial regression analysis of MDAS showed that the frequency of dental cleaning and the number of teeth were significantly associated with dental anxiety. The frequency of dental cleaning "semiannually or annually" (P1) for dental anxiety in pregnant women. Conclusion Educational level, teeth cleaning frequency, teeth brushing frequency, gingival bleeding, and the number of teeth influence dental anxiety in pregnant women. To effectively reduce the prevalence of dental anxiety, dentists should attach great importance to it in clinical practice and enhance pregnant women's awareness of oral hygiene maintenance by disseminating relevant health care knowledge.

Keywords

• dental anxiety
• pregnant women
• frequency of teeth brushing
• gingival bleeding
• oral health behaviors
• number of teeth
• age
• number of pregnancies
• influence factors
• education