ABSTRACT
Introduction
Dental anxiety may be defined as a state of unpleasant feeling combined with an associated feeling of impending doom or danger from within than from without. Anxious patients are difficult to manage and tend to avoid treatment.
Aim
The aim of the study is to evaluate the level of dental anxiety among patients undergoing endodontic treatment.
Materials and methods
Consent form and a pro forma of questionnaire [Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS)] in three different languages were used. The patients undergoing endodontic treatment were first explained about the study and how the study would be carried out with a sample size of 250 patients. The minimum score of 5 and the maximum score of 25 was considered for evaluation. Cut off at 19 or above indicates a highly dentally anxious patient.
Statistical analysis
Analysis was done using the Student’s t-test and Kruskal–Wallis test.
Results
There were significant differences in the level of anxiety between male and female patients when the tooth was about to be drilled, when the teeth were about to be scaled, and when the local anesthetic was to be administered (p = 0.05, 0.02, and 0.06 respectively), except for anxiety levels a day prior to treatment and when patients were in the waiting room, which was not significant (p = 0.46 and 0.14 respectively).
Conclusion
In general, it was observed that patients are slightly anxious related to dental appointments and fairly anxious when related to treatments. Female patients tend to be more anxious than men, and patients in age group below 25 years are more anxious than other age groups.
How to cite this article
Phodse K, Shenoy VU, Machale PS. Assessment of Dental Anxiety Levels in Patients undergoing Endodontic Treatment. J Contemp Dent 2017;7(2):91-96.
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