Dental fear and oral health habits among adults in Finland.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between dental fear and oral health habits (tooth-brushing, use of toothpaste, dental floss and toothpicks, smoking and dental attendance), while simultaneously considering the effect of age, gender, and attained level of education. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The nationwide two-stage stratified cluster sample (n=8028) was representative of Finnish adults aged 30 years and older. The response rate was 88%. Dental fear was determined by the question: "How afraid are you of visiting a dentist?" Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between dental fear and oral health habits, including age, gender, and attained level of education. RESULTS: Regular smokers were more likely to be very afraid of visiting a dentist than were those who smoked occasionally or not at all. Age modified the effect of dental attendance and tooth-brushing on dental fear. Among 65+-year-olds, those who brushed their teeth less than twice a day were more likely to be very afraid of visiting a dentist than were those who brushed at least twice a day. Irregular attenders were more likely to be very afraid of visiting a dentist than were regular attenders, the effect being strongest among 65+-year-olds. CONCLUSIONS: Birth cohort has to be taken into account when associations between dental fear and oral health habits are studied. Dental teams have to be aware of the associations between dental fear and smoking because of the adverse effects of smoking on oral health and the risk of irregular attendance among those with high dental fear.