Estimated prevalence of dental fear in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo systematically review the literature on the prevalence of dental fear in adults to estimate a worldwide pooled prevalence and to investigate factors related to the heterogeneity of estimates.MethodsInclusion criteria were population-based studies reporting the prevalence or data that allowed the calculation of prevalence of dental fear in adults and/or elders. Five electronic databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Virtual Health Library (BVS) and Web of Science) were searched. Two researchers independently performed the study selection, data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies. The prevalence pooled estimates of dental fear were calculated using fixed- and random-effect models. Subgroup analyses were performed to investigate variability between studies.ResultsThe search strategy identified 4,486 studies. After removal of duplicates (1,722), title and abstract screening (2,764) and full-text reading (108), 31 publications were deemed eligible for this systematic review. A total of 72,577 individuals 18 years of age or older composed the sample of this systematic review. The global estimated prevalence of dental fear and anxiety (DFA), high DFA and severe DFA in adults were 13.8%, 11.2% and 2.6%, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed a higher prevalence of DFA, high DFA and severe DFA among women and younger adults. The instrument used to measure dental fear also affected the prevalence of the outcome.ConclusionsDental fear and high dental fear are prevalent in adults worldwide, being more prevalent among women.