Factors affecting anxiety-fear of surgical procedures in dentistry.

AIM: To compare dental anxiety and fear during procedures performed under local anesthesia either in the operating room or in the clinic as well as to investigate the potential factors that might influence this psychological condition.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients who were admitted to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the universities in two cities, which have a different sociocultural patient profile, were enrolled. In addition to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), and Dental Fear Scale (DFS), the patients were asked to answer the questions concerning previous dental experience, education level, and previous psychiatric therapy.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The results of STAI were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U-test and results of DAS and DFS were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance test.

RESULTS: Two hundred patients, of whom 76 were enrolled in the first center and 124 were enrolled in the second center. A statistically significant difference was observed in state anxiety levels of the patients between the two centers, whereas the difference in trait anxiety levels was not significant. The results of DAS, DFS, and STAI-trait (STAI-T) displayed a significant difference between genders; the levels of anxiety and fear were higher in females than in males (DAS P = 0.025, DFS P = 0.017, STAI-T P = 0.045). Comparison between the patients with and without previous dental experience revealed a statistically significant difference regarding the results of STAI.

CONCLUSIONS: The study found that sociocultural structure and gender are the significantly effective factors on dental anxiety and fear.