Association between dental neglect and alexithymia in individuals seeking dental care: A cross-sectional study.
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| Title: | Association between dental neglect and alexithymia in individuals seeking dental care: A cross-sectional study. |
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| Authors: | Sindhusha, Banda Sri Deepti (AUTHOR), Srinivas, Ravoori (AUTHOR), Pachava, Srinivas (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Oral Research & Review. Jul-Dec2026, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p129-133. 5p. |
| Subjects: | Alexithymia, Oral health, Professional-patient communication, Psychological tests, Cross-sectional method |
| Abstract: | Introduction: Alexithymia has become a paradigm linking emotion to health and is considered a stable personality trait. It may affect health by encouraging harmful behaviors, but more significantly, it is seen as a hindrance to effective patient–clinician communication. As oral health is essential to overall health, dental neglect (DN) occurs at every stage of life for various reasons. It is critical to identify alexithymia in a dental context, as it deteriorates the relationship between the dentist and the patient, particularly when the individual neglects his/her oral health. Materials and Methods: The study was cross-sectional and involved adult participants aged 18 years or older. A questionnaire about their demographics, DN, and alexithymia was provided to 150 participants. They included a six-item Dental Neglect Scale (DNS) and a 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results: There was a statistically significant relationship between DN and alexithymia among the study participants (P = 0.046). The mean DNS scores for males and females were 16.47 ± 2.10 and 16.44 ± 1.58, respectively. The mean TAS-20 scores were 50.90 ± 6.21 for males and 55.32 ± 7.12 for females. Conclusion: The significant association between DNS and alexithymia suggests that difficulty in emotional awareness may contribute to poorer oral health behaviors. The mean DNS with a slightly higher score in males contributes to a higher rate of DN. However, higher TAS-20 scores in females indicate greater alexithymic traits, which may influence their emotions and indirectly affect dental care practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Introduction: Alexithymia has become a paradigm linking emotion to health and is considered a stable personality trait. It may affect health by encouraging harmful behaviors, but more significantly, it is seen as a hindrance to effective patient–clinician communication. As oral health is essential to overall health, dental neglect (DN) occurs at every stage of life for various reasons. It is critical to identify alexithymia in a dental context, as it deteriorates the relationship between the dentist and the patient, particularly when the individual neglects his/her oral health. Materials and Methods: The study was cross-sectional and involved adult participants aged 18 years or older. A questionnaire about their demographics, DN, and alexithymia was provided to 150 participants. They included a six-item Dental Neglect Scale (DNS) and a 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results: There was a statistically significant relationship between DN and alexithymia among the study participants (P = 0.046). The mean DNS scores for males and females were 16.47 ± 2.10 and 16.44 ± 1.58, respectively. The mean TAS-20 scores were 50.90 ± 6.21 for males and 55.32 ± 7.12 for females. Conclusion: The significant association between DNS and alexithymia suggests that difficulty in emotional awareness may contribute to poorer oral health behaviors. The mean DNS with a slightly higher score in males contributes to a higher rate of DN. However, higher TAS-20 scores in females indicate greater alexithymic traits, which may influence their emotions and indirectly affect dental care practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 22494987 |
| DOI: | 10.4103/jorr.jorr_74_25 |
