Pain, anxiety and fear related to oral biopsies: a pilot study

Objective: The objective of this prospective study was to measure the level of pain and anxiety before, during, and after an oral biopsy, and fear memory 7 days following the procedure. Study design: This was a single-center, prospective, survey-based observational pilot study of patients seen from April 2022 to June 2023 at the Sol Silverman Oral Medicine Clinic, at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). We assessed the level of pain and anxiety before, during, and after oral biopsies and a fear memory interview on the 7th day post oral biopsy. Results: Sixty patients participated in the study (median age: 56.5 years (range: 20-95 years); 65% females). Most patients had a punch oral biopsy (84%). The median score for pain was 2 (range 0-9) on day 1 post biopsy and 0 (range 0-4) on day 7 post biopsy (p < .0001); the median score for anxiety was 0 (range 0-3) on day 1 post biopsy and 0 (range 0-2) on day 7 post biopsy. During the phone interview on day 7, patients reported a median score of 1 for pain (range: 0-8), unpleasantness (range 0-9) and anxiety/fear (range 0-10). Conclusions: Oral biopsy is a well-tolerated procedure with minimal pain and anxiety/fear.