Anxiety of dental treatment among patients visiting primary health centers

To assess the prevalence of dental anxiety among patients visiting a teaching dental hospital in Lucknow, India and their self-perceived treatment needs

Image 1 Patients self assessment was a good predictor of patient dental status.

Estimating the Need for Sedation in Patients with Dental Anxiety and Medical Complexities Reporting to Tertiary Care Dental Hospital Using the IOSN Tool

Objectives

To provide consistent method for assessment of sedation need among patients undergoing dental treatment based on specific risk factors that is dental anxiety, medical status, and treatment complexity of needed dental treatment using IOSN (indication of sedation need) tool for assisting the clinician in decision making process.

Methods

A total of 237 patients aged ≥12, ASA I and II were enrolled in the study. A structured questionnaire comprising of three sections was distributed among the participants. Section 1 comprises details about age, gender, literacy level, occupation, monthly income, and previous dental treatment history. Section 2 is based on Modified Dental Anxiety Scale which is a questionnaire comprising of five questions ranging from “not anxious” to “extremely anxious.” The third section was based on using the IOSN tool comprising three components: MDAS (Modified Dental Anxiety Scale) rank score, Systemic Health (ASA status) rank score, and treatment complexity rank scores. The total of three scores was then computed to determine the total rank score which suggested the sedation need. History of past traumatic dental experiences was also inquired from each patient.

Results

A total of 237 patients aged ≥12, ASA I and II were enrolled in the study, out of which 56.1% were female. Statistical analysis was conducted by using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23 software. Based on the MDAS score, 47/237 (19.8%) participants were found to be highly anxious related to dental procedures. 34.6% of the participants showed to have a high sedation need while performing a dental procedure. The sedation need was found to be significantly associated with the female gender with a significant p value of (p=0.016), higher education status (p=0.016), and history of previous traumatic dental experience (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

A simple assessment tool can enable clinicians in their decision making to identify patients in need for dental treatment under sedation based on patient-specific risk factors such as past traumatic dental experiences. Need for sedation can be assessed by information on patient anxiety level towards dental treatment, medical history, and complexity of planned dental treatment. The IOSN tool is a simple and quick assessment tool that can be applied for preprocedural assessment of sedation need for dental treatment.

An Assessment of Dental Anxiety in Patients Before and After Scaling and Polishing Procedures

Introduction As of now, there are not many investigations about the improvement of dental apprehension and dental participation in various populations over time. This investigation includes an examination of emotional appraisals of levels of dental apprehension in patients selected at the AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences. The investigation also aimed to discover the causes of dental apprehension as well as the effect of sexuality on the distinguished dental apprehension.

Materials and Methods The level of dental apprehension was assessed using questionnaires that included 15 questions before and after the scaling and polishing procedures for 78 patients. The typical features were drawn such as gender, age, and oral hygiene habits. The data analysis was analyzed using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank test to assess pre- and postanxiety levels.

Results A total of 78 responses were collected, resulting in a participation rate of 100%. Despite the fact that women had significantly higher overall dental apprehension levels compared with men, the discrepancy among the two genders was substantial and could be clarified.

Conclusion Dental fear was common in females, especially among those with dental problems, and a larger degree of dental fear can contribute to periodontal disease.

Magnitude and Determinants of Dental Anxiety among Adult Patients Attending Public Dental Clinics in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

INTRODUCTION

It is estimated that, about 40% of the population suffer from dental anxiety. Dental anxiety is considered to be complex and multifactorial with a wide range of provoking factors which may be patient, provider, or environment-related.

AIM

This study aimed to assess the magnitude and determinants of dental anxiety among adult patients attending public dental clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methodology. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in 4 public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It included 300 adult patients who had dental caries, periodontal diseases, or dental trauma. Data were collected using a self-administered Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the SPSS computer software version 23. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the association between variables, and the significance level was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 32.18 years (±11.06 SD) with a male-to-female ratio of 1 : 1.43. The means MDAS score was 12.84 ± 4.99. Tooth extraction had the highest mean MDAS score. The majority (261, 87%) of participants had mild-to-severe anxiety. The most common (72.2%) anxiety-provoking factor was an unsympathetic dentist; others included unawareness of the procedure to be carried out (58.3%) and the presence of apprehensive patients (52.0%). The level of anxiety was found to be statistically significantly associated (p < 0.05) with young age [p=0.009, AOR 3.06 (95% CI, 1.32, 7.09), female patients [p < 0.001, AOR 4.45 (95% CI, 2.05, 9.70)], and a higher education level [p < 0.05, AOR 2.32 (95% CI, 1.03, 5.25)].

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of dental anxiety was high among the participants of this study. Female gender, young age, and a higher level of education constituted determinants of dental anxiety. An unsympathetic practitioner, unawareness of the procedure, and presence of apprehensive patients were the common anxiety-provoking factors.