Anxiety, Stress, Depression, Oral Health Status and Behaviours in Romanian Hemodialysis Patients

Objectives. Our aim was to examine the self-reported anxiety, stress and depression, oral health status and behaviors among Romanian adults individuals on renal dialysis. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study design was used. The sample consisted of 161 Romanian adults (mean age 53.9 years; 44% women; 66% married). The questionnaire included information about socio-demographic factors, behavioral factors, self-reported oral health status, anxiety, stress and depression. Results. 99.4% of the participants reported to have current non-treated caries, 94.4% were not satisfied by appearance of own teeth, 97.5% presented extracted teeth and 64.6% of them reported to have gum bleeding. 34.5% of the individuals brushed once a day or less, 92.5% of them never used dental floss and 78.3% never used mouthrinse. Only 13% of participants were regular users of the dental-care system (i.e. they had at least one dental visit in the last year) and 89.4% had seen the dentist only when treatment is needed or when in pain. The reasons for not visiting the dentist were in 51.6% of the participants the dental anxiety and in 37.3% the financial problems. A high percentage of dialysis patients presented anxiety (85.1%), stress (60.9%) and depression in everyday life (61.5%). No influence of duration of hemodialysis was noted among the study variables. Conclusions. The results support the view that there is an increased risk for anxiety, stress, depression and impaired dental/gingival health and behaviours among individuals on renal dialysis. Early dental treatment and psychological interventions should be intensified in these subjects, and are of interdisciplinary importance.