Psychological Distress, Dental Health, and Dental Fear among Finnish University Students: A National Survey

Abstract

<p><br>The aim of this study was to study the association between dental fear, psychological<br>distress, and perceived symptoms of teeth controlled for age, gender, educational sector, and<br>tobacco use. The data from the Finnish University Student Health Survey 2016 targeting students (n<br>= 10,000) of academic universities and universities of applied sciences were used. Psychological<br>distress was measured with the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation 10 (CORE-10) and the General<br>Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) and dental fear with the question ‘Do you feel scared about<br>receiving dental care?’. The study included 3110 students. In logistic regression analyses those<br>with psychological distress (measured with CORE-10 and GHQ-12) and those reporting teeth-related<br>symptoms were more likely than their counterparts to have high dental fear. In gender-specific<br>analyses men with psychological distress (measured with CORE-10) and women with teeth-related<br>symptoms were more likely to have high levels of dental fear. Finnish university students with<br>psychological distress and teeth-related symptoms were more likely to experience higher levels of<br>dental fear than their counterparts were. The results of this study support possible common<br>vulnerability factors that dental fear and other psychological disorders may share.<br></p><p><br></p>