Association between psychosomatic factors and dental care utilization: A cross-sectional study

Psychosomatic factors such as mental well-being, sleep quality, and satisfaction with social life play a key role in both general and oral health, but their association with the use of dental services has not yet been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the psychosomatic well-being of dental patients. For this purpose, the Psychosomatic Assessment Health Disc (PAHD) was applied, and two patient groups were compared: a group of individuals who attended scheduled dental appointments and a group of emergency dental care users. A total of 232 study participants aged 25 to 50 took part in this study at the University Clinic for Dentistry and Oral Health at Medical University of Graz. The group with scheduled appointments comprised 126 study participants, while the group with emergency treatment consisted of 106 participants. Results showed that patients with scheduled appointments had higher satisfaction with sleep as compared to participants in the urgent care group. In the overall sample, women expressed lower satisfaction with mental and physical well-being than men. In this sample, age was not associated with psychosomatic well-being. Additionally, individuals with a history of mental illness (8.2%) reported lower satisfaction in all PAHD domains except sleep. These findings highlight a link between psychosomatic well-being and forms of dental care use. Further research should investigate potential benefits of an integrated approach in dental practice, which also takes mental and social health into account.