Dental anxiety, utilisation of dental services, and DMFS status in Norwegian military recruits.

The aim of the study was to assess the association between dental anxiety, oral health (evaluated by clinical and radiographic examinations), and utilisation of dental services. Results from correlation and regression analyses confirmed the generally held expectation that high dental anxiety would be associated with poorer oral health measured as numbers of decayed or filled surfaces. Significant, but weak, relationships were found between dental anxiety and utilisation measures, i.e. number of dental visits during the last year and time since last dental visit. Taken together, the data indicated that dental anxiety was a facet of more general negative oral health/preventive oral health related behaviour. Thus, high scores on this dimension were characterised by high dental anxiety, more oral health problems, inadequate dental attendance, slightly less frequent toothbrushing and larger intake of sweet soft drinks. However, the study also demonstrated that non-selected dentally anxious individuals as a group did not exhibit the almost complete avoidance pattern typical of patients seeking special treatment for dental fear. Even in the subgroup with particularly high dental anxiety, several individuals reported having been to the dentist during the last one or two years.