The relationship of dental caries and dental fear in Malaysian adolescents: a latent variable approach

Rashidah Esa; Ai Leng Ong; Gerry Humphris; Ruth Freeman

doi:10.1186/1472-6831-14-19

The relationship of dental caries and dental fear in Malaysian adolescents: a latent variable approach

Rashidah Esa (Lead / Corresponding author), Ai Leng Ong, Gerry Humphris, Ruth Freeman

Dentistry

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14 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Background: To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia.

Methods: A multi-stage-stratified sampling method was employed. Five hundred and three, 16-year-olds from 6 government secondary schools participated in this study. The questionnaire examined participants' demographic profile and assessed their dental fear using the Dental Fear Survey (DFS). The clinical examination consisted of the DMFT as the outcome measure of dental caries disease and treatment experience by a single examiner (ICC = 0.98). Structural equation modelling inspected the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience.

Results: The mean DMFT was 2.76 (SD 3.25). The DT, MT and FT components were 0.64 (SD 1.25), 0.14 (SD 0.56) and 1.98 (SD 2.43) respectively. Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly greater mean numbers of decayed and missing teeth. The mean DFS score was 40.8 (SD 12.4). Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly higher mean scores for physical symptoms of dental fear. The correlation between dental fear (DFS) and dental caries disease and treatment experience (DMFT) was 0.29, p <0.0001. The structural equation model fitted the raw data well (_?²= 9.20, df = 8, p = 0.34). All components of DMFT were closely associated in equal strength to the unidimensional hypothetical latent variable of dental caries disease and treatment experience. The strength of the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience varied in accordance with place of residence.

Conclusion: In conclusion a relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience was shown to exist in 16-year-old adolescents living in Malaysia. This study showed that the rural-urban dichotomy acted as a moderator upon this relationship.

Original language	English
Article number	19
Pages (from-to)	1-7
Number of pages	7
Journal	BMC Oral Health
Volume	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-14-19
Publication status	Published - 12 Mar 2014

Keywords

Adolescent
Anxiety
Chi-Square Distribution
China
DMF Index
Dental Anxiety
Dental Caries
Dental Restoration, Permanent
Ethnic Groups
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
India
Likelihood Functions
Malaysia
Male
Residence Characteristics
Rural Health
Tooth Loss
Urban Health

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10.1186/1472-6831-14-19Licence: CC BY

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Cite this

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title = "The relationship of dental caries and dental fear in Malaysian adolescents: a latent variable approach",

abstract = "Background: To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia.Methods: A multi-stage-stratified sampling method was employed. Five hundred and three, 16-year-olds from 6 government secondary schools participated in this study. The questionnaire examined participants' demographic profile and assessed their dental fear using the Dental Fear Survey (DFS). The clinical examination consisted of the DMFT as the outcome measure of dental caries disease and treatment experience by a single examiner (ICC = 0.98). Structural equation modelling inspected the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience.Results: The mean DMFT was 2.76 (SD 3.25). The DT, MT and FT components were 0.64 (SD 1.25), 0.14 (SD 0.56) and 1.98 (SD 2.43) respectively. Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly greater mean numbers of decayed and missing teeth. The mean DFS score was 40.8 (SD 12.4). Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly higher mean scores for physical symptoms of dental fear. The correlation between dental fear (DFS) and dental caries disease and treatment experience (DMFT) was 0.29, p <0.0001. The structural equation model fitted the raw data well (?2= 9.20, df = 8, p = 0.34). All components of DMFT were closely associated in equal strength to the unidimensional hypothetical latent variable of dental caries disease and treatment experience. The strength of the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience varied in accordance with place of residence.Conclusion: In conclusion a relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience was shown to exist in 16-year-old adolescents living in Malaysia. This study showed that the rural-urban dichotomy acted as a moderator upon this relationship.",

keywords = "Adolescent, Anxiety, Chi-Square Distribution, China, DMF Index, Dental Anxiety, Dental Caries, Dental Restoration, Permanent, Ethnic Groups, Female, Health Behavior, Humans, India, Likelihood Functions, Malaysia, Male, Residence Characteristics, Rural Health, Tooth Loss, Urban Health",

author = "Rashidah Esa and Ong, {Ai Leng} and Gerry Humphris and Ruth Freeman",

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T1 - The relationship of dental caries and dental fear in Malaysian adolescents

T2 - a latent variable approach

AU - Esa, Rashidah

AU - Ong, Ai Leng

AU - Humphris, Gerry

AU - Freeman, Ruth

PY - 2014/3/12

Y1 - 2014/3/12

N2 - Background: To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia.Methods: A multi-stage-stratified sampling method was employed. Five hundred and three, 16-year-olds from 6 government secondary schools participated in this study. The questionnaire examined participants' demographic profile and assessed their dental fear using the Dental Fear Survey (DFS). The clinical examination consisted of the DMFT as the outcome measure of dental caries disease and treatment experience by a single examiner (ICC = 0.98). Structural equation modelling inspected the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience.Results: The mean DMFT was 2.76 (SD 3.25). The DT, MT and FT components were 0.64 (SD 1.25), 0.14 (SD 0.56) and 1.98 (SD 2.43) respectively. Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly greater mean numbers of decayed and missing teeth. The mean DFS score was 40.8 (SD 12.4). Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly higher mean scores for physical symptoms of dental fear. The correlation between dental fear (DFS) and dental caries disease and treatment experience (DMFT) was 0.29, p <0.0001. The structural equation model fitted the raw data well (?2= 9.20, df = 8, p = 0.34). All components of DMFT were closely associated in equal strength to the unidimensional hypothetical latent variable of dental caries disease and treatment experience. The strength of the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience varied in accordance with place of residence.Conclusion: In conclusion a relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience was shown to exist in 16-year-old adolescents living in Malaysia. This study showed that the rural-urban dichotomy acted as a moderator upon this relationship.

AB - Background: To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia.Methods: A multi-stage-stratified sampling method was employed. Five hundred and three, 16-year-olds from 6 government secondary schools participated in this study. The questionnaire examined participants' demographic profile and assessed their dental fear using the Dental Fear Survey (DFS). The clinical examination consisted of the DMFT as the outcome measure of dental caries disease and treatment experience by a single examiner (ICC = 0.98). Structural equation modelling inspected the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience.Results: The mean DMFT was 2.76 (SD 3.25). The DT, MT and FT components were 0.64 (SD 1.25), 0.14 (SD 0.56) and 1.98 (SD 2.43) respectively. Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly greater mean numbers of decayed and missing teeth. The mean DFS score was 40.8 (SD 12.4). Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly higher mean scores for physical symptoms of dental fear. The correlation between dental fear (DFS) and dental caries disease and treatment experience (DMFT) was 0.29, p <0.0001. The structural equation model fitted the raw data well (?2= 9.20, df = 8, p = 0.34). All components of DMFT were closely associated in equal strength to the unidimensional hypothetical latent variable of dental caries disease and treatment experience. The strength of the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience varied in accordance with place of residence.Conclusion: In conclusion a relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience was shown to exist in 16-year-old adolescents living in Malaysia. This study showed that the rural-urban dichotomy acted as a moderator upon this relationship.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Anxiety

KW - Chi-Square Distribution

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KW - DMF Index

KW - Dental Anxiety

KW - Dental Caries

KW - Dental Restoration, Permanent

KW - Ethnic Groups

KW - Female

KW - Health Behavior

KW - Humans

KW - India

KW - Likelihood Functions

KW - Malaysia

KW - Male

KW - Residence Characteristics

KW - Rural Health

KW - Tooth Loss

KW - Urban Health

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DO - 10.1186/1472-6831-14-19

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C2 - 24621226

AN - SCOPUS:84899079425

SN - 1472-6831

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SP - 1

EP - 7

JO - BMC Oral Health

JF - BMC Oral Health

M1 - 19

ER -

The relationship of dental caries and dental fear in Malaysian adolescents: a latent variable approach

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Keywords

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