Dental fear and perceived oral health importance: A mediation analysis of courage as virtue

The impact of dental fear on the perceived importance of oral health is of interest to dentists. Hence, 100 participants with clinical diagnoses of dental caries and periodontal/gingival diseases were assessed. The dental fear survey comprised 20 items in the questionnaire addressing the different situations, associated feelings and reactions related to dental treatment. Perceived importance of oral health was recorded through 3 items of oral health belief questionnaire. Character strengths of courage were recorded through the Values in Action Inventory of Strength (VIA-IS) Questionnaire (40 items; 10 items belonging to each of the four character strengths of courage). Later, a mediation analysis was conducted to evaluate the direct effect of dental fear and its domains, as well as the mediating effect of courage and its domains (perseverance, honesty, zest, bravery) on perceived importance. The 'physiological arousal' and 'avoidance of dentistry' factors associated with dental fear negatively impact the perceived importance of oral health. Thus, virtue of courage has the potential to improve the perceived importance of oral health.