ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH ORAL HEALTH AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Background: A Psychological discomfort can influence how people behave when it comes to their health. We looked at how gender, school grade, parents' education, family structure, smoking, and perceived overall health influenced psychological distress, social phobia (SP), and anxiety linked with dental brushing among Finnish teenagers.

Methodology: This research is part of the national School Health Promotion Study in Finland (SHP). A representative sample of Finnish 15-year-olds (N=45,877) was used in the study. SP and anxiety were assessed using the Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The respondents' oral health behaviors (tooth brushing, smoking), background characteristics (age, gender, family structure, and parents' education), and perceived general health were all asked about in a questionnaire. In the study, Chi-squared tests and logistic regression analyses were used.

Keywords: Adolescents, Oral health behaviour, Psychological distress, Tooth brushing.