Assessment of anxiety associated with the dental treatments on the quality of life: An original research

Abstract

Background: Patients around the world when attending the dental clinic are prone to undergo the feelings of fear and anxiety. This may impact the dental follow-up and prognosis. Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the dental anxiety in the patients attending for the dental treatment in a college, in India. Materials and Methods: A sample of 500 adults with ages 15–60 years was considered for the study. Modified dental anxiety questionnaire was used in the present study to assess the anxiety faced by the patients attending for the dental treatment. ANOVA and Chi-square test were used to test for the significance between the variables, and the correlation between these variables was assessed using the Spearman's correlation. Likert scale was used to know the cutoff for the severity of the dental anxiety. Results: Only in the 4% of the participants in the present study had dental anxiety. Gender, age, financial status, education impacted the dental anxiety and the regularity toward the appointments. Conclusion: It can be concluded from our study that there was a low anxiety in the dental patients toward the dental treatment and also anxiety decreased with the age. However, regular dental visits are advised to prevent the overall impact of the oral health on the general health.

Keywords

• dental anxiety and fear
• modified dental anxiety scale
• socioeconomic status