Resumen de Estudio sobre los factores asociados a la fobia dental

Eugenia María Díaz Almenara, Laura San Martín Galindo, Leticia Marchena Rodríguez, Camilo Abalos-Labruzzi, M. Ruiz Veguilla

• español

  Las tasas de prevalencia de la ansiedad dental extrema en la población adulta se cifran entre el 11 y el 20 %. Las determinaciones expresadas como “miedo al dentista” rara vez se usan en la práctica clínica para evaluar los temores de los pacientes. El objetivo del presente trabajo es identificar los factores asociados al miedo al dentista y a la frecuencia de visitas.

  Metodología: se evaluó en 98 sujetos que acudieron a una consulta privada de Sevilla capital. Se recogieron datos demográficos para evaluar la ansiedad y depresión a través de la Escala de Ansiedad y Depresión Hospitalaria (HAD) y miedo dental (Cuestionario de Miedo Dental (CMD). La evaluación se llevó a cabo antes del tratamiento. Los datos fueron analizados mediante el paquete estadístico SPSS.

  Resultados: se extrajeron 4 dimensiones del CMD: la atención sanitaria, actitud del dentista, negligencia/descuido y organización. Solo las dimensiones actitud del dentista (OR=2.4 (IC 95 % 1.1-5.4); p=0.02) y negligencia/descuido (OR=5.3 (IC 95 % 2.0- 13.1); p=0.0001) junto con los niveles de ansiedad (OR=1.3 (IC 95 % 1.3-1.7); p=0.01) se asociaron independientemente a presentar miedo dental. Ninguna de las variables se asociaron con frecuencia de visitas el dentista.

  Conclusiones: las dimensiones actitud del dentista, descuido/negligencia junto con la ansiedad se asocian al miedo al dentista.

• English

  Methods: the study comprised 98 subjects visiting a private dental clinical in Seville (Spain). Dental fear was measured using the question contemplated in the questionnaire developed by Pohjola et al. (“How afraid are you of visiting the dentist?”: “Not at all”, “A little”, or “A lot”). Demographic data were collected, and anxiety and depression were assessed based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD Background. The estimated prevalence of extreme dental fear and anxiety is 40 % among the adult population. Patient expressed fear of the dentist is rarely used in clinical practice to assess patient concerns. The present study was carried out to identify the risk factors associated to fear of the dentist and the frequency of visits to the dental clinic. Dental fear was evaluated using the Dental Fear Questionnaire (CMD) developed by Navarro and Ramírez (1996). These evaluations were made before dental treatment was carried out.

  Results: four dimensions of the CMD were considered: “dental care”, “attitude of the dentist”, “neglect” and “organization”. Only the dimensions “attitude of the dentist” (OR=2.4 (95 % CI: 1.1-5.4); p=0.02) and “neglect” (OR=5.3 (95 % CI: 2.0-13.1); p=0.0001), together with the levels of anxiety (OR=1.3 (95 % CI: 1.3-1.7); p=0.01), were independently associated to the presence of dental fear (“a lot”). None of the variables were associated to the frequency of visits to the dentist.

  Conclusions: the dimensions “attitude of the dentist” and “neglect”, together with anxiety, are associated to fear of the dentist.