STUDY OF STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ACID RESISTANCE OF PERMANENT TOOTH ENAMEL IN CHILDREN DEPENDING ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ANXIETY
Authors: Danyltsiv L. O. , Rozhko M. M. 
Published: July 2022

Aim of the research. To study the level of structural and functional acid resistance of enamel using the enamel resistance test (TER-test) according to V.R. Okushko, L.I. Kosareva; to identify the level of personal and reactive anxiety in adolescents according to the method of Ch.D. Spielberger and Yu.L. Khanina; to trace the relationship between the structural and functional acid resistance of tooth enamel and the level of anxiety of diagnosed adolescents living in the area with existing iodine deficiency.

Materials and methods. In comparative aspect, the results of the study of structural and functional acid resistance of enamel of permanent tooth on the background of different psycho-emotional state in 180 students aged 15 years of educational institutions of Ivano-Frankivsk region, which is characterized by existing iodine deficiency. The study of the level of functional resistance of tooth enamel to acid was performed using the test of enamel resistance (TER-test) developed by V.R. Okushko, L.I. Kosareva (1983), the essence of which is to assess the depth of the microdefect of the enamel after dosed acid trauma. To determine the level and nature of anxiety, we used the "Scale for assessing the level of reactive and personal anxiety" C.D. Spielberger and J.L. Hanin.

Results. The results of the survey indicated that among the surveyed adolescents, the dominant level of anxiety on the scale of reactive and personal anxiety was average (respectively, 45.00±3.71% and 40.56±3.66%). A significant proportion of adolescents had a high level of anxiety (33.89±3.53% in RA and 26.11±3.27% in PA). The average value of the test of acid resistance of enamel among all examined adolescents was 4.28±0.15 points, which indicated the average level of SFARE. Comparative analysis of the results showed a decrease in acid resistance of tooth enamel as the level of anxiety increases regardless of its nature, which was accompanied by a significant increase in numerical values of TER (from 2.61±0.25 points to 6.00±0.17 points (p˂0,05) at RA and from 2.53±0.20 points to 6.64±0.14 points (p˂0.05) at PA). As a result of the conducted researches it was found that low and medium level of RA and PA was most often observed in adolescents, respectively, with significant and medium structural and functional resistance of enamel. High levels on the scale of RA and PA were determined mainly in the group of children with low structural and functional stability of tooth enamel. We did not find a high level of anxiety among schoolchildren with high enamel resistance to caries. As the level of enamel resistance and resistance of teeth to caries decreased, there was a decrease in the proportion of children with low anxiety (with RA from 60.53±3.64% to 5.26±1.66%, with PA from 63.34±3.59% to 3.33±1.38%) and an increase in the proportion of children with high anxiety (with RA from 37.70±3.61% to 62.30±3.61%, with PA from 14.89±2.65% to 85.11±2.65%). As the level of enamel resistance and tooth resistance to caries decreased, it was accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of children with low anxiety and an increase in the proportion of children with high anxiety.

Conclusions. As a result of the research, a certain connection was found between the level of anxiety and the structural and functional acid resistance of tooth enamel. Adolescents with reduced structural and functional resistance of enamel and low resistance of teeth to caries have a higher level of both reactive and personal anxiety compared to children with significant and moderate structural and functional resistance of enamel and, accordingly, high and medium resistance of teeth to caries. The obtained data can be the basis for substantiating the prevention of dental caries in children with various psycho-emotional states.