Summary
The objective of this study is to identify the level of dental anxiety in a sample of Chilean adults who attend a service of primary health care. A cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample consisted of 174 caregivers of pediatric dental patients, aged between 20 and 70 years, belonging to the urban area of Santiago de Chile. A questionnaire that included socio-demographic information (sex, age, educational level, income per capita index and last dental visit) were registered. Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale was applied. Descriptive statistics and t-test, U-Mann Whitney test and Spearman test was used. An error of significance of 5% was applied. 37.9 % of the sample shows dental anxiety in their moderate levels (16.1 %), severe (13.2 %) and dental phobia (8.6 %). Of the subjects who had dental anxiety, the majority had moderate anxiety (42.4 %). In an educational level, subjects with complete basic education have the highest rate (57.1 %) of anxiety, while incomplete higher education had the lowest rate (25 %). Adults between 50 and 59 years reported greater presence of dental anxiety. There were not significant associations between dental anxiety and age, sex, educational level, per capita rate and last dental visit. The sample of adults surveyed in Santiago de Chile presented high levels of dental anxiety compared to other developed countries. We recommend further studies in this population to determine the variables that explain the problem of dental anxiety in the Chilean population.
KEY WORDS: dental anxiety, adults, behavioral sciences, dental fear, primary health care, cross sectional study.
How to cite this article
RÍOS-ERAZO, M.; HERRERA-RONDA, A.; BARAHONA-SALAZAR, P.; MOLINA-MUÑOZ, Y.; CADENASSO-SALINAS, P.; ZAMBRANO-CANELO, V. & ROJAS-ALCAYAGA, G. Dental anxiety in Chilean adults who attend a primary care health service. Int. J. Odontostomat., 10(2):261-266, 2016.
