Dental Fear And Anxiety In Different Gender Of Chennai Population

Abstract

Gender differences in dental fear have been of increasing interest among clinicians and researchers and dental fear is a common obstacle to obtain dental care. People with high dental fear have poorer oral health and often suffer significant social and psychological impacts associated with their oral state. People with dental phobia may also suffer from a variety of anxiety disorder, mood disorder, personality and behavioral disorder s as well as from multiple other specific fears. One measure of dental fear captures the aspect of state anxiety more while another measure emphasizes the aspect of trait anxiety. This study examines the gender differences of dental fear among the Chennai population across a broad range of relevant factors, including biological influences, temperamental factors, stress and trauma, cognitive factors, and environmental factors. Gender differences are observed with increasing consistency as the scope of analysis broadens to molar levels of functioning. Socialization processes cultivate and promote processes related to anxiety, and moderate gender differences across levels of analysis.