Verslavingen en angst voor mondzorg

Uit de psychiatrie is bekend dat persoonlijkheidskenmerken zich al vroeg uiten in een breed scala van emoties en gedragingen. Persoonlijkheidskenmerken zijn stabiel, omdat ze over de tijd aanwezig blijven en consistent omdat ze onder verschillende levensomstandigheden zijn terug te vinden. Sommige mensen hebben persoonlijkheidskenmerken die hen vatbaar maken voor verslavingen en angsten. Finse onderzoekers hebben de relatie tussen deze verslavingen, vooral het gebruik van alcohol en roken, en angst voor tandheelkundige behandelingen nader onderzocht.

This study investigated the association between dental fear and alcohol use disorder and smoking controlling for age, gender and attained level of education as well as anxiety and depressive disorders. Nationally representative data on Finnish adults, 30 + years old (n = 5953), were gathered in interviews. Dental fear was measured in an interview using the question: 'How afraid are you of visiting a dentist?' The alternatives for replying were: 'Not at all', 'Somewhat' and 'Very'. Alcohol use, anxiety and depressive disorders were assessed with a standardized structured psychiatric interview based on DSM-IV criteria. The question on regularity of smoking gave 3 reply alternatives: smoking 'Daily', 'Occasionally' or 'Not at all'. When socio-demographics and anxiety and depressive disorders were controlled for, those with lifetime alcohol use disorder were more likely to have high dental fear than were those without this disorder. When smoking was added to the model, those who smoked regularly were more likely to have high dental fear than those who smoked occasionally or not at all. In this model, alcohol use disorder was not statistically significantly associated with dental fear. The results of this study support the suggestion that some individuals may have personality traits that make them vulnerable to substance use disorders and dental fear.

Bron

Pohjola V, Mattila AK, Joukamaa M, Lahti S. Alcohol use disorder, smoking and dental fear among adults in Finland. Acta Odontol Scand 2013; 7: 300-306. doi: 10.3109/00016357.2012.680902.