Oral Health Knowledge and Dental Attendance among Adolescents With and Without Dental Fear

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of dental fear and to compare oral health knowledge and dental attendance among the adolescents in north central zone of Nigeria with and without dental fear.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 children aged 15-19 years old recruited using multistage sampling technique from State owned secondary schools in Minna, Niger State. A self-administered questionnaire elicited information on demographic characteristics, oral health knowledge, toothache experience, gingival bleeding, dental attendance and dental fear.
Results: The majority (92.8%) of the participants reported that they give equal care to their teeth and bodies. Less than half (42.8%) reported poor/fair oral health knowledge; toothache (40.2%) while 56.4% and 54.9% reported gingival bleeding and dental attendance respectively. A total of 128 (3.7.0%)of the 346 participants reported dental fear .Participants with poor/fair oral health
knowledge and toothache experience reported significantly more dental fear (P=0.003 and 0.016) respectively. The prevalence of severe dental fear among participants that visited dental clinic was 36.8%. The only determinant of dental fear among the participants was oral health knowledge.
Conclusion: The prevalence of dental fear in this study was high and it was found to be significantly associated with oral health knowledge and toothache experience. However, it was only oral health knowledge that emerged as the determinant of dental fear.