A Study on the Dental Fear, Anxiety, Depresison and the Stress Symptom in Orafacial Region in Dental Outpatients

치과외래환자에서 공포, 불안, 우울 및 구강안면부 스트레스증상에 관한 연구

This study was performed to investigate the emotional state related to dental fear, hospital anxiety and depresison, and frequency of stress symproms of orofacial region. For this study, Dnetal Fear Surfey(DFS) scale, the Hospital ANxiety and Depression(HAD) scale, and Stress Symptom Questionnaire(SSQ) designed by the author were used in 549 dental outpatients. Dental Fear Survey scale is composed of avoidance of dentistry(AVOI), physiologic response scale(PRS) and dental stimulus response scale(DSRS). The Hospital anxiety and Depresiosn scale is composed of hospital anxiety(HA) and hospital depressoin (HD). Data were analyzed statistically with SPSS program and the results were as follows : 1. The item of the highest positive response rate in DFS scale was 'feeling drill'(82.0%), and in the HAD scale was ' feel as if I am slowed down'(84.1%). 2. Mean score of AVOI, PRS, DSRS and HD were higher in the older group(>25yr) than the yoiunger group(<25yr) and female patients showed higher score of DSRS, HA than male patients. 3. Mean number of items of stress symptoms in extraoral region were 3.4, and in intraoral region, were 4.7. Tongue wymptoms were increased in the older toup and female patients had more stress symptoms than male patients. 4. Correlation between DFS scale and HAD scale were significantly positive and these scales were also apositively correlated with tongue symptoms. 5. As for treatment types, the patients treated in the department of periodontics,conservative dentistry, and oral surgery showed higher score of DFS scale than the patients with temporomandibular disorders or treatedin the department of orthodontics.