Evaluation of the Relationship between Alexithymia and Dental Fear in Individuals Undergoing Tooth Extraction for Orthodontic Reasons

Ab s t r Ac t Aim and objective: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the alexithymia and dental fear levels and to reveal the relationship between alexithymia and dental fear of healthy individuals undergoing tooth extraction for orthodontic reasons. Materials and methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2019 in orthodontic patients who had their teeth extracted in Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral, Maxillofacial Surgery and Orthodontics Department and a private dental clinic in Van province. Questionnaires consisted of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, which determines the level of alexithymia and the Dental Fear Scale, which measures dental fear levels were performed 1 week after the tooth extractions. Results: Of the 260 individuals included in the study, 180 were female and 80 were male. The age of individuals ranged from 11 to 41, and the mean age was 19.97 ± 5.82. There was no statistically significant difference between the rates of alexithymia in individuals by age and gender (p value > 0.05). The levels of dental fear and alexithymia of individuals do not differ statistically according to the place of treatment (p value > 0.05). The positive relationship between individuals’ dental fear and alexithymia levels was found to be statistically significant (r = 0.239, p value < 0.01). Conclusion: In this study, it was revealed that when individuals’ level of dental fear increased, the level of alexithymia increased. Clinical significance: The presence of alexithymia should be investigated in individuals who are considered to have difficulty in cooperating because of dental fear in the clinic. Both dental fears and alexithymies of individuals should be handled separately before dental treatment.