Impact of anxiety and perceived difficulty on syncope in dental clinic

Background and Aim of the Study: This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between anxiety levels, syncope episodes, and dental procedures.Methods: Two hundred patients were assessed for eligibility, with thirty-six meeting the inclusion criteria. Twenty participants had prior syncope experiences, while sixteen fainted during dental clinical procedures. All participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) interviews, and a numerical rating scale (NRS) assessed their perceptions of anesthesia, extraction, and procedure difficulty.Results: It revealed that anxiety significantly increased in patients with previous syncope episodes during extractions (p = 0.002) and perceived difficulty (p = 0.017). Syncope during dental procedures correlated considerably with dental extraction (p = 0.003), difficulty assumption (p = 0.012), and overall HAD scores (p = 0.036).Conclusion: Syncope-prone patients may be at higher risk for syncope during dental extractions, influenced by anxiety. Participants who fainted during procedures exhibited elevated total anxiety scores on the HAD.