Dental anxiety, possibly not related to past negative experiences, affects nearly 30% of adults and may be linked to higher reported pain levels, according to a study recently published in BMC Oral Health.
Additionally, anxiety levels may differ by gender, with women experiencing higher anxiety, the authors wrote.
"The results of this study show that dental anxiety remains a significant issue for almost one third of the sample studied," wrote the authors, led by Mayra Schemel-Suarez of the University of Barcelona in Spain (BMC Oral Health, March 7, 2025, Vol. 25, 355).
To assess anxiety prevalence in patients attending an initial consultation at a dental surgery unit, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were recorded. Pain related to the consultation reason and past dental experiences were also documented for 143 adult patients, they wrote.
Anxiety levels were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory/State Scale (STAI-S) and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire. During the oral examination, the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index and the decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) index were evaluated.
About 30% of the sampled population exhibited anxiety according to the STAI-S, with 55.94% experiencing mild anxiety and only 4.9% reporting extreme anxiety, as measured by the MDAS scale. A statistically significant correlation was found between STAI-S values and pain, showing higher anxiety in patients experiencing pain during the consultation (p = 0.001), though this was not observed with MDAS values, they wrote.
Furthermore, anxiety levels differed significantly between men and women (p < 0.05), with women showing higher average anxiety scores on both the STAI-S and MDAS scales. Additionally, 86.71% of individuals described their previous dental experience as "good." No statistically significant interaction was found between anxiety, time since the last dental visit, and the type of treatment received at the previous visit.
Nevertheless, the study had limitations, including its small sample size and the underrepresentation of individuals ages 38 and older, reducing data changes relating to age, the authors added.
"Dental anxiety not only concerns patients but also generates challenges on dentist causing a decrease in patient's collaboration, increase in treatment's time and the potential to make an incorrect diagnosis and/or treatment for instance an erroneous pulp vitality assessment or mistakes in treatment planning," they wrote.
