EVALUATION OF ANXIETY LEVELS OF PATIENTS REPORTING FOR DENTAL TREATMENT: AN INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS

Background- Anxiety is an adaptive emotional response to potentially threatening or dangerous situations; moderated by the sympathetic nervous system. Dental anxiety is common and occurs before, during, or after dental treatment. As a result, extensive anxiety leads to dental avoidance and many missed appointments, impacting both oral and overall health. In particular, those people who delay visiting the dentist for a long time, even when experiencing signicant pain, may have extensive problems that require more complex and complicated treatment. Aim- To evaluate the level of dental anxiety in patients undergoing dental treatment based on the variables of age and gender. Materials and Methods- In the conducted study, a total of 100 dental patients took part, comprising 56 males and 43 females. The research employed a pre-treatment design to evaluate the impact of the dental procedure on the anxiety levels experienced by the patients. To gauge the anxiety levels of the patients before the treatment, the Modied Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was utilized. Results- Out of 100 patients,29 had MDAS scores above 19 i.e. were highly anxious. The results were evaluated based on age and gender. Females were twice as highly anxious as men, with 69% of females and 31% of males being highly anxious. Middle-aged group showed the maximum level of dental anxiety among all age groups. Conclusions- Dental anxiety and fear need to be alleviated and controlled with adequate measures. Highly anxious patients must be identied and adequate measures and assurance must be provided.