Impact of Positive and Negative Emotions of Adult Patients on Dental Anxiety before Treatment in Southern India

Abstract Introduction: Many individuals get anxious when they consider getting a regular checkup at the dentist and a significant number of adults suffer from dental anxiety, ranging from mild to severe. By recognizing patients’ feelings and dental fears, dentists may better anticipate their behavior and develop treatments that will help patients feel less anxious. Hence, this study aims to hypothesize the interrelation of positive and negative affects (NAs) of individuals on anxiety before dental treatment in adult patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 dental patients aged 16 years and above visiting clinical departments of a dental institution in southern India using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale containing 9 questions and a Positive affect and negative affect schedule scale containing 20 words which were translated into Telugu and are asked by the interviewer to the subject. Results: About 56.6% of the total sample participants had with graduation level of educational qualification, 68.5% were employed and 61.4% belonged to urban areas. The majority of the participants were moderately anxious (58%), out of the total participants, 69.8% had a moderate PA and 70.2% had a moderately NA. statistically significant association was found between negative emotions/affect and dental anxiety ( P = 0.001). Conclusion: The finding of this preliminary study indicates that people with NA/emotions toward dental treatment comparatively have higher dental anxiety.