Acculturation and Dental Care-Related Anxiety: An Exploratory Assessment from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

This study aimed to determine the associations between acculturation, dental anxiety, and dental utilization among Hispanics/Latinos living in the US. A proxy measure of dental anxiety was available for 7539 adults who had not visited a dentist within the last year. All completed the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH). Bivariate logistic regression and adjusted multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted. Approximately 22% of the sample was dentally anxious. Dental anxiety was significantly associated with SASH language scale score (OR 1.09, 95%CI 1.02, 1.18, p = 0.04), years in US (OR 1.53, 95%CI 1.23, 1.91, p < 0.0001), and preferred Spanish language (OR 1.30, 95%CI 1.05, 1.63, p = 0.0192); lower acculturation corresponded to higher dental anxiety. Adjusting for sex, age, education, income, insurance, and oral health status, level of acculturation was associated with dental anxiety (AOR 0.87, 95%CI 0.75, 0.91, p = 0.009), but neither were associated with utilization. Acculturation may be an important predictor of dental anxiety for Hispanics/Latinos living in the US.