Dental anxiety and oral health in American Indian and Alaska natives

American Indian and Alaska native (AI/AN) individuals report distrust of the healthcare system. This study explored associations between having either high levels of dental distrust or high levels of dental care-related fear and anxiety ("dental anxiety") and oral health outcomes in AI/AN...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of public health dentistry 2024-07
Main Authors: Tiwari, Tamanna, Wright, Casey D, Heaton, Lisa J, Santoro, Morgan, Tranby, Eric P
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:American Indian and Alaska native (AI/AN) individuals report distrust of the healthcare system. This study explored associations between having either high levels of dental distrust or high levels of dental care-related fear and anxiety ("dental anxiety") and oral health outcomes in AI/AN adults. The 2022 State of Oral Health Equity in America survey included the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and asked to what extent respondents agreed with the statement, "At my last oral health visit, I trusted the oral health provider I saw", and asked about self-rated oral health and presence of a dental home. AI/AN individuals (N = 564) who reported low dental trust (n = 110) or with high dental anxiety (MDAS≥19; n = 113) reported significantly worse overall and oral health and were significantly less likely to have a dental home (p 
ISSN:0022-4006
1752-7325
1752-7325
DOI:10.1111/jphd.12633