Anxiety symptoms have a direct effect on oral health perception in young women.

PURPOSE: Assess the influence of anxiety symptoms on oral health related-quality of life in young women from a cohort study in Southern Brazil. METHODS: A sample of 535 young mothers were analyzed. Interviews and psychological evaluations were carried out by trained psychologists. The Brazilian version of the Corah's dental anxiety scale and the Beck anxiety inventory were used to evaluate dental anxiety and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was assessed by the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance instrument. Dental examinations were performed by trained dentists to assess oral health status (DMFT). The effect of anxiety symptoms on oral health-related quality of life was estimated using the parametric g-formula. RESULTS: The prevalence of negative impact on OHRQoL was of 46.3 and 28% of the women presented anxiety symptoms. Unadjusted analysis showed that women with anxiety symptoms had 2.5 higher impact on OHRQoL (OR 2.55; CI 95% 1.72-3.79). The parametric g-formula revealed that anxiety had a direct effect on oral health perception (OR 1.16; CI 95% 1.04-1.30), not mediated by dental anxiety. CONCLUSION: Oral health-related quality of life is influenced by anxiety symptoms, regardless of dental anxiety.