Management of Fear and Anxiety in the Dental Office During Treatments

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: the objective of this study was to evaluate patients' dental anxiety utilizing the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) questionnaire, while also investigating the potential correlation between dental anxiety and sociodemographic variables.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MDAS questionnaire was employed to evaluate the patients' anxiety levels, comprising five items, each with five response alternatives. All patients completed the MDAS questionnaire before the dental treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify the frequency of answers. The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to assess anxiety levels between genders.
RESULTS: The study included 80 patients, comprising 43 males and 37 females, with a mean age of 40.89 ± 13.84 years. Female patients exhibited much greater anxiety regarding dental treatment than male patients. Linear regression indicated a strong correlation between age and gender with pre-treatment anxiety levels.
CONCLUSIONS: Age and gender significantly influence dental anxiety.