Dental anxiety and potentially traumatic events: a cross-sectional study based on the Tromsø Study—Tromsø 7

BMC Oral Health

Table 2 The distribution of low and high dental anxiety in key variables

Variable	N	% Low dental anxiety	% High dental anxiety	χ^2a	PHI^b
Sex
Female (0)	10,583	52	66.6	47.63*	−0.05
Male (1)	9614	48	33.4
Total count	20,197	19,614	583
Current mental health symptoms
HSCL < 1.84	17,729	91.8	75.7	170.74*	0.09
HSCL ≥ 1.85	1686	8.2	24.3
Total count	19,415	18,867	548
Avoidance^c
Never, only for acute problems (0)	1984	9.0	39.9	602.69*	0.17
Goes regularly (1)	18,160	91	60.1
Total count	20,144	19,565	579
Oral health^d
Excellent (0)	3022	88.1	28.3	323.69*	0.31
Very bad (1)	484	11.9	71.7
Total count	3506	3393	113

Frequency of high (≥ 19) and low (< 19) dental anxiety scores (MDAS) according to sex, mental health symptoms, dental attendance (avoidance) and oral health
^aYates' correction for continuity; Chi-square test of independence
^bPhi coefficient (effect size: 0.10 for small effect, 0.30 for medium effect, 0.50 for large effect [Cohen’s criteria 1988])
^cDo you go to the dentist/experience dental care regularly? 0 = no, never or only for acute problems 1 = yes, often, yearly, every other year or less than once every two years
^dComparing high and low evaluations of one's own oral health
*p < 0.01

ISSN: 1472-6831