Assessment of Clinical Parameters of Dental Anxiety during Noninvasive Treatments in Dentistry

Gabriela Gil-Abando, Paula Medina, Carolina Signorini, Elisabeth Casañas, Natalia Navarrete and Marta Muñoz-Corcuera ()
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Gabriela Gil-Abando: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Paula Medina: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Carolina Signorini: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Elisabeth Casañas: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Natalia Navarrete: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Marta Muñoz-Corcuera: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28005 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-11

Abstract: Dental anxiety is a matter of interest for the dentist since an anxious patient is a potential source of complications in the dental office. The main objectives of this study are to describe the correlation between dental anxiety levels and the values of physiological parameters related to dental anxiety and to study the evolution of blood pressure and heart rate over time during noninvasive dental treatments, i.e., not requiring local anesthesia. A descriptive, longitudinal, and prospective observational study was designed. The study population consisted of 200 patients who attended a university clinic for dental treatment without local anesthesia. The patients were asked to complete the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale. Afterward, blood pressure and heart rate were measured by means of a digital sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure and heart rate were taken throughout the procedure on four occasions. Most of the patients showed mild dental anxiety (5 [IQR: 3] points on Corah Dental Anxiety Scale). Significant but weak correlations were found between the level of dental anxiety and heart rate (Spearman rho: 0.166 and 0.176; p = 0.019 and 0.013; 3 min before and after treatment, respectively), as well as between the level of dental anxiety and the duration of treatment (Spearman rho: 0.191 3 min; p = 0.007). As for the evolution of physiological parameters, all patients showed a progressive decrease in values at different time points during treatment. When the types of treatment were evaluated separately, it was observed that there were statistically significant differences between them with respect to the level of dental anxiety ( p = 0.006).

Keywords: dental anxiety; blood pressure; heart rate; Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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