Dentistry & Oral Care

Biography

Biography: Siddiq Yousufi

Abstract

Introduction: Dental anxiety is a highly prevalent condition. It is feeling so nervous or fearful about a visit to the dentist that it interferes with your dental care and health. It can occur as fear of pain, needles, the drill, simply not knowing what may happen or being out of control. There are many causes of dental anxiety. When people hear stories about difficult dental visits or experience some pain themselves, they often feel afraid of the potential pain associated with the procedure and the things related to that pain such as needles, the sounds, sights and smell of a dental office, and many other features of the visit. Fear sensations such as sweaty palms, butterflies in stomach and a racing heart may develop. It can cause you to avoid going to the dentist when needed to treat current problems or prevent future problems. People with dental anxiety have a sense of uneasiness about the upcoming dental appointment. They may also have exaggerated worries or fears.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of dental anxiety, frequency of dental anxiety among both genders, common factors influencing dental anxiety and effect of past experience with dental anxiety among the patients coming for treatment to dental institutes of Peshawar. 

Materials & Methods: It was a cross-sectional study in which 300 patients, 151 males and 149 females, aged 18-90 years were questioned. The assessment tool consisted of a questionnaire form containing the MDAS (Modified Dental Anxiety Scale) which was used to assess the level of dental anxiety. The study was carried out in Sardar Begum Dental College and Khyber College of Dentistry.

Results: Out of 300 patients, 13% turned out to be dental anxious, out of these 13%, 79.48% were females and 20.52% were males. Out of the total dental anxious patients, 44.33% were anxious due to tomorrow’s treatment/appointment. 44.98% were anxious due to scaling and polishing, 46.16% were anxious while sitting in the waiting room, 68.67% were anxious due to tooth drill, while 72.67% were anxious due to local anesthetic injection. Out of the 13% dental anxious patients, 66.67% had a good past experience with the dentist while the remaining 33.33% had a bad past experience.

Conclusion: Females are more dental anxious than males. Local anesthetic injection and tooth drill for restorative purposes were the most common factors influencing dental anxiety. The study also shows that the past experience with the dentist does not affect the anxiety score.