World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

THE PREVALENCE OF DENTAL ANXIETY AND FEAR IN PATIENTS REFERRED TO THAI MOOGAMBIGAI DENTAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL

Dr. Uma Sudhakar, MDS, Dr. S. Francy Teena*, BDS, Dr. T. Harini, BDS, Dr. J. Gayathri, BDS

ABSTRACT

Aims and Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and cause of patient’s anxiety towards dental treatment and to improve patient management and development of better treatment strategies for anxious dental patients. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among 100 patients referred to the outpatient clinic of Periodontics, Thai Moogambigai dental college, Chennai. Each patient was provided with a survey form and was asked to answer the questions given. The survey questionnaire consists of 20 structured questions. Ethical committee approval obtained from our university. Patients were clearly explained about purpose of the study and consent was obtained from them. The data collected from patients were kept confidential. Results: The prevalence of dental anxiety in the present study was found to be 73%.The results from the present study conducted reveals that Inspite of many technological advances made in modern dentistry, anxiety associated with the dental treatment was extensive in the study population. Conclusion: The present cross-sectional study has been conducted on a limited population who has been referred to Thai Moogambigai Dental College and hospital during the study period. Studies on larger populations are required to reveal prevalence of dental fear and anxiety in the society. Also further studies with different designs should be conducted to investigate different factors causing dental anxiety and fear.

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