ArticleBMC oral health2026
Primacy vs. recency effects: the dominant role of recent over past dental experience in dental anxiety.
Article in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Feasibility and Safety of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Use During Dental Treatment: A Pilot Study.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDental fear and anxiety (DFA) is a prevalent problem with multifactorial origins, including past traumatic experiences, cognitive vulnerabilities, and sociodemographic factors. Since most previous studies have focused on early or cumulative dental trauma and so, the relevance and significance of the most recent dental experience in shaping DFA is less explored. This study aimed to examine how recent, past, and childhood dental experiences, along with pain-related fear and demographic variables, predict DFA severity.
methodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 802 Hungarian adults (mean age = 28.74; 78% women). Dental fear and anxiety (DFA) was assessed using three validated instruments: the Dental Anxiety Question (DAQ), the Short Dental Fear Question (SDFQ), and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Participants reported past dental experiences categorized by life stages into childhood, adulthood, and the past year. Hierarchical linear regression models were constructed for each DFA measure across the three temporal dimensions, adjusting for age, sex, and pain/distress during the last dental visit.
resultsIn all three timeframes, DFA was significantly associated with painful or traumatic dental experiences. However, pain and distress during the most recent dental visit was found to be the strongest predictor of DFA across all models (p < .001). Sex was a consistent predictor, with women reporting higher DFA levels (p < .001), and age showed a negative association in some models. Dental problems in childhood were also associated with DFA, but the predictive power decreased when recent experiences were also considered.
conclusionsDFA develops based on early or cumulative experiences but is also significantly influenced by the most recent dental visit, highlighting a dynamic interaction between trait-like and state-like anxiety processes. Our findings underscore the importance of ensuring positive, pain-free dental care to disrupt the reinforcement of DFA and prevent avoidance behavior.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.