To Assess the Fear & Anxiety among Patients Attending the OPD of a Dental College in Bangalore City

Abstract

Background: Anxiety and fear towards dental treatment are common problems frequently experienced by patients world-wide. Despite the advances in technology and increased oral health awareness significant percentage of people suffer from dental anxiety. Aim: To determine dental anxiety and fear levels of patients attending the out-patient department (OPD) of a dental college in Bangalore city. Study Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Materials and Methods: Dental fear and dental Anxiety among the study subjects were assessed using Dental Fear Survey (DFS) and Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) respectively. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square, ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation. A total of 356 study participants were present, out of which 220(61.7%) were males and 136(38.3%) were females. Results: It was found that females were more anxious and afraid. A total of 0.8% of the study participants were severely anxious and 8.7% of the study participants were severely afraid of dentists and dental hospitals. When age, gender, fear and anxiety were correlated, it was found that as the age increases, fear and anxiety decrease (p<0.05). Conclusion: Study participants were mainly afraid or anxious about getting their teeth extracted or scaled. This fear and anxiety could be reduced by keeping their personal choices in mind.