Efrat Gilon

Parents play a significant role in the development of dental anxiety in their adolescent children. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the influence of family milieu on adolescents’ dental anxiety. The level of dental anxiety (Dental Anxiety Scale—DAS) was evaluated in 100 adolescent dental patients (ages 13–18 years) and their parents. Parents supplied information about family demographics and their personal experiences of dental treatment. Concomitantly, the family’s behavior was observed during the dental encounter. The adolescents’ mean DAS score was 9.83 ± 2.05. Adolescents’ DAS was higher when their parents’ memories from their own dental encounters were negative. A positive correlation was found between adolescents’ dental anxiety and that of their father (r = 0.52, p < 0.001) and mother (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). The following variables showed a significant ability to predict adolescents’ dental anxiety (stepwise regression): mother’s DAS (B = 0.57), adolescent’s behavior at the dental visit (B = 0.87), being the firstborn child (B = −0.44), father’s DAS (B = 0.13), and mother’s level of education (B = −0.10). The results showed that intra-family relationships and behavior, parents’ education, dental fear, and memories from previous treatments play an important role in defining the level of dental anxiety in their adolescent children.

(1) Background: this study aimed to evaluate the worries, anxiety, and depression in the public during the initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown in three culturally different groups of internet survey respondents: Middle Eastern (Israel), European (Poland), and North American (Canada). (2) Methods: a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in the mentioned countries during the lockdown periods. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on personal concerns, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). A total of 2207 people successfully completed the survey. (3) Results: Polish respondents were the most concerned about being infected. Canadian respondents worried the most about their finances, relations with relatives and friends, and both physical and mental health. Polish respondents worried the least about their physical health, and Israeli respondents worried the least about their mental health and relations with relatives and friends. Canadian respondents obtained the highest score in the PHQ-4, while the scores of Israeli respondents were the lowest. (4) Conclusions: various factors should be considered while formulating appropriate solutions in emergency circumstances such as a pandemic. Understanding these factors will aid in the development of strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of stress, social isolation, and uncertainty on the well-being and mental health of culturally different societies.

Background: In late December 2019, a new pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) infection began to spread around the world. The new situation gave rise to severe health threats, economic uncertainty, and social isolation, causing potential deleterious effects on people’s physical and mental health. These effects are capable of influencing oral and maxillofacial conditions, such as temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and bruxism, which could further aggravate the orofacial pain. Two concomitant studies aimed to evaluate the effect of the current pandemic on the possible prevalence and worsening of TMD and bruxism symptoms among subjects selected from two culturally different countries: Israel and Poland. Materials and Methods: Studies were conducted as cross-sectional online surveys using similar anonymous questionnaires during the lockdown practiced in both countries. The authors obtained 700 complete responses from Israel and 1092 from Poland. In the first step, data concerning TMDs and bruxism were compared between the two countries. In the second step, univariate analyses (Chi²) were performed to investigate the effects of anxiety, depression, and personal concerns of the Coronavirus pandemic, on the symptoms of TMD, and bruxism symptoms and their possible aggravation. Finally, multivariate analyses (logistic regression models) were carried out to identify the study variables that had a predictive value on TMD, bruxism, and symptom aggravation in the two countries. Results: The results showed that the Coronavirus pandemic has caused significant adverse effects on the psychoemotional status of both Israeli and Polish populations, resulting in the intensification of their bruxism and TMD symptoms. Conclusions: The aggravation of the psychoemotional status caused by the Coronavirus pandemic can result in bruxism and TMD symptoms intensification and thus lead to increased orofacial pain.

BACKGROUND In late December 2019, a new pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) infection, began to spread around the world. The new situation gave rise to severe health threats, economic uncertainty, and social isolation, causing potential deleterious effects on the physical and mental health of the people. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate worries, anxiety and depression in the public during the initial Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19; Coronavirus) pandemic lockdown in three culturally different communities: Middle Eastern (Israel), European (Poland) and North American (Canada). METHODS A cross-sectional online anonymous survey was conducted simultaneously in Israel, Poland and Canada during the lockdown periods in these countries. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on original personal concerns regarding the Coronavirus pandemic and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) which is a brief screening tool used for assessing anxiety and depression. A total of 2207 people successfully completed the survey. The data obtained from the survey were statistically analysed. RESULTS The results of the survey showed that Poles were the most concerned about being infected by the virus, with higher scores found among women and elders. Canadians worried the most about their finances, relations with relatives and friends and both physical and mental health, while Poles, despite being the most concerned about virus contamination, worried the least about their physical health and Israeli worried the least about their mental health and relations with relatives and friends. Canadians obtained the highest total score in PHQ-4, as well as in both the anxiety and depression subscales of the questionnaire, while the scores of Israelis were the lowest. All the findings were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The study showed that various factors should be considered while formulating appropriate solutions in emergency circumstances such as a pandemic. Understanding these factors will aid in the development of response strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of stress, social isolation and uncertainty on the well-being and mental health of culturally different societies.