14 – The role of illness beliefs and coping in the adjustment to dentine hypersensitivity

Aim: Dentine hypersensitivity is a common oral health problem; however, there has been little research on how people cope with this condition. This study aimed to quantify the effects of illness beliefs and coping strategies on the health outcomes of individuals with dentine hypersensitivity. Materials and methods: Participants were purposively sampled from students and staff in one large UK University. One hundred one people with self-diagnosed dentine hypersensitivity completed questionnaires that assessed health anxiety, specific illness beliefs (control, consequences, illness coherence, timeline perspectives, and emotional representations), coping strategies (passive and active coping), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at baseline and 1-month follow-up. Results: More than half of the participants (N=56) experienced sensations in their teeth on a daily basis and the majority had experienced dentine hypersensitivity for at least 1 year (N=87). Structural equation modeling indicated that predictors of OHRQoL and HRQoL impacts at follow-up were frequency of sensations, low levels of illness coherence, negative emotional representations, greater health anxiety, and use of passive coping strategies at baseline. Conclusions: Illness beliefs and coping strategies predict OHRQoL and HRQoL outcomes in people with dentine hypersensitivity.