Cindy Dasrat, Shamara Duncan*, Rebekah Jagroop, Akeila Lewis and Zoe Perreira

School of Dentistry, University of Guyana, Guyana

*Corresponding Author:Shamara Duncan, School of Dentistry, University of Guyana, Guyana.

Received: September 25, 2023; Published: October 04, 2023

Abstract

Background: Regular dental visits are essential in detecting, treating, and preventing problems that may arise in the oral cavity. Dental fear, anxiety, and an individual’s oral health literacy can influence how often he or she seeks dental care.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between oral health knowledge and the prevalence of dental fear and anxiety among 14-year-old public high school students in Georgetown, Guyana. It also aimed to identify factors that may promote Dental Fear and Anxiety (DFA) in this population.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 319, 14-year-old students, utilizing the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and Children Fear Survey Schedule - Dental subscale (CFSS-DS) questionnaires for data collection. The data collected was tabulated and the results were statistically analyzed in Microsoft Excel.

Results: The majority; 65.5% of the study population displayed good oral health knowledge with 60.5% demonstrating low levels of anxiety and 54.9% were without dental fear. The primary dental concerns outlined were “not being numb enough”, “fear of being injured by the dentist”, “not being listened to or taken seriously”, “receiving an injection in the gums” and “extraction of a tooth”.

Conclusion: The study revealed that the sampled population possessed good oral health knowledge with low to moderate dental fear and anxiety levels.

Keywords: Oral Health Literacy; Oral Health Knowledge; Dental Anxiety; Dental Fear; Dental Phobia

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Citation

Citation: Shamara Duncan.,et al. “The Relationship Between Oral Health Literacy and Dental Fear and Anxiety among Public High School Students in Georgetown, Guyana".Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 7.11 (2023): 02-07.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Shamara Duncan., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.