LEVELS OF DENTAL PHOBIA PERCEPTION AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS

Abstract

Fear of the dentist is a response to a known danger faced by patients, triggered when encountering stimuli that elicit fear. The purpose of this work is to investigate the levels of dental fear, phobia, and anxiety among dental students, as well as to understand the triggers that may induce episodes of phobia. Material and Method: The study group comprised 50 dental students, aged 24-30, from both urban (30 subjects) and rural (20 subjects) backgrounds, physically and emotionally healthy. The Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF) questionnaire was used to determine the degree of dental phobia, while the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale was employed to assess anxiety induced by dental visits. Results: 42% feel slightly uneasy, 6% feel tense when hearing the turbine sound, 10% feel a little uneasy during scaling, 22% feel a bit uneasy while in the waiting room, and 4% feel a bit uneasy before scheduling an appointment. Conclusions: Students exhibit a low level of dental fear and anxiety, presenting neither dental phobia nor significant dental anxiety.

Keywords

• dental fear/phobia
• anxiety
• idaf questionnaire
• corah scor