Comparison of Dental Anxiety While Visiting Dental Clinics before and after Getting Vaccinated in Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic

Vaccination is critical to control the rate of coronavirus transmission and infectivity. Dental practices are a high-risk area for contracting coronavirus; this fact generates psychological disturbances amongst patients. In this study, we aimed to assess the levels of anxiety of patients while visiting dental practices before and after getting vaccinated. This cross-sectional study was carried out between March and December 2021. An electronic survey was distributed among the vaccinated individuals who visited dental clinics before and after getting vaccinated. The survey consisted of the following four parts: demographic characteristics, questions related to coronavirus, and anxiety scores before and after getting vaccinated. SPSS-25 was used to perform the statistical analysis, where paired t-test was used to compare the anxiety scores, and Mann–Whitney U test to assess the association of gender with anxiety scores. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. A total of 400 vaccinated individuals participated in this study, with a response rate of 88.23%. The majority of the respondents (71.0%) did not test positive for coronavirus. More than half of the participants (54.0%) reported to not be suffering from any coronavirus-related symptoms. About 100 (25.0%) of the individuals stated that dental clinics are an environment in which there is a high risk of contracting coronavirus. In regards to the comparison of the mean MDAS scores of the participants before and after getting vaccinated, a significant difference (p = 0.001) was found. Vaccination has been recommended for all eligible individuals to control the transmission and infectivity of coronavirus. Vaccinations have decreased the dental anxiety of patients while visiting dental clinics. However, the protective measures are still valid and should be followed, regardless of the vaccination status.

The Effect of an Informative Video upon Anxiety and Stress in Patients Requiring an Oral Biopsy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: The use of multimedia tools improves patient understanding of surgical procedures, reduces anxiety and increases satisfaction. The present study evaluates the impact of an audiovisual intervention (video) upon anxiety and stress in patients requiring an oral biopsy. Material and methods: A prospective randomized clinical trial was carried out in patients requiring an oral biopsy. The control group (n = 60) received verbal standard information while the experimental group (n = 60) received information in the form of a video. The following data were recorded: gender, age, educational level and hemodynamic parameters (blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation). The following questionnaires were used to assess anxiety and stress before and after the biopsy procedure: Corah’s Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: The final study sample consisted of 120 patients, of which 65.8% were women and 34.2% men, with a mean age of 40.5 ± 15.3 years. At the end of the study, the experimental group presented a significantly lower MDAS score than the control group (p = 0.041). The STAI score also showed a significant decrease with respect to the control group at the end of the study (p = 0.012). There were no statistically significant changes in the hemodynamic parameters in either group. Conclusions: The video constituted a useful and easy tool for reducing anxiety among patients requiring an oral biopsy.

A dataset for dental anxiety and psychological distress in 1550 patients visiting dental clinics

Objectives Information was collected to identify anxiety in dental patients visiting a dental clinic using the Dental Anxiety Scale, their level of psychological distress using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and identifying a correlation between these groups as well as the gender and age. Data description This data contains a set of 1550 patients’ answers to questionnaires taken before dental treatment in a dental clinic. It is divided into male and female patients as well as according to their age. The level of Dental Anxiety can be interpreted by answers chosen in the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the level of psychological distress by answers chosen in the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18). This dataset should help to encourage more research in the field of dental anxiety and we hope to see more comparisons with our data in the future or in different regions of the world.

Assessment of Dental Anxiety and Hemodynamic Changes during Different Dental Procedures: A Report from Eastern Saudi Arabia

Objectives This study aimed to investigate hemodynamic changes in healthy adult patients during different dental procedures and evaluate whether these changes were associated with patients' dental anxiety. Materials and Methods A convenience sample of 119 patients of both genders undergoing routine dental care participated in the study. Participants responded to the Arabic version of the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) and a self-structured questionnaire. Each patient had their blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation measured at three points: before, during, and after the dental procedure using an electronic sphygmomanometer. MDAS scores were categorized into no anxiety, mild, moderate or severe anxiety, while readings of heart rate and blood pressure were categorized into no change, increased or decreased and either “no change” or “increased” for oxygen saturation. Chi-square test was used to investigate the association between the study variables and a p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. SPSS version 20 was used in the analysis. Results Mean ( ± standard deviation [SD]) of MDAS was 11.12 ( ± 3.9) an indicative of moderate dental anxiety. No changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or in oxygen saturation were observed on 39.5%, 54.6% and 97.5% among the study participants, respectively. Half of the participants avoided dental care, with dental anxiety being the main reason for that (26.1%). Pattern of dental visits was significantly associated with MDAS scores (p = 0.042). There were significant changes in blood pressure (p = 0.0003), heart rate (p = 0.01) but not in oxygen saturation (p = 0.33). Changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were not associated with dental anxiety p = 0.15, 0.10, and 0.99, respectively. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that the type of dental procedure may cause dental anxiety and cause hemodynamic changes. Therefore, close monitoring of patients with dental anxiety during the treatment is advised.

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale (ACDAS)

Aim: This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Abeer Children Dental Anxiety Scale (ACDAS) as a tool used for the identification and treatment of anxious children. Methods: The study sample included 122 children aged ≥7 years, and the intervention consisted of implementation of the ACDAS and the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) by the lead researcher during the first dental visit for each child. ACDAS application was also repeated by another pediatric dentist in a smaller sub-sample of 20 children during the same visit. The lead researcher repeated the process, (i.e. application of ACDAS) in the whole study sample after two weeks. Results: The mean age of the participants was 9.84 ± 1.696 years (range: 7–12 years), and anxiety (ACDAS ≥ 26) was detected in 36.1% of the children. The Turkish version of the ACDAS exhibited high correlation with the CFSS-DS (r = 0.760; p < 0.001), and the Cronbach Alpha value (α = 0.934) showed good internal consistency. No statistically significant differences were observed in the dentist’s responses to questions in the Dental and Cognitive sections when comparing the first and second applications of the scale (p > 0.05), although significant differences were observed in the Child Evaluation section (p < 0.01). The Area Under the Curve (AUC), obtained by Receiver Operative Characteristic Curve (ROC) Analysis was 0.849 indicating good diagnostic performance. Conclusions: Based on these findings, the Turkish version of the ACDAS can be considered as a valid and reliable dental anxiety scale for the identification of children concerned about dental procedures.