LAUSR

AIMS The aims of this study were to: (1) evaluate the level of dental fear among transgender individuals and (2) investigate specific predictors of dental fear in individuals who identify as transgender. METHOD AND RESULTS An anonymous survey among transgender adults was conducted using both a web-based and paper survey. The survey included the Dental Fear Survey (DFS), history of hormonal interventions, perceived gender roles, and demographic information. The bivariate analyses did not show a significant difference in DFS between sex assigned at birth (p = 0.628) or among gender identities (p = 0.109). A regression model analysis for the level of DFS by using participants' demographic information as independent variables indicated the fear and experience of discrimination/maltreatment were significant predictors of dental fear; standardized beta coefficients (p-value) were 0.35 (p = 0.017) and 0.28 (p = 0.041), respectively. CONCLUSION The fear and experiences of discrimination/maltreatment were significantly positively associated with their level of dental fear.