Prevalence of Dental Anxiety among Patients Visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) of a Dental Institution in Panchkula, Haryana

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is a common problem frequently experienced by patients undergoing dental procedures in every dental setting. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of dental anxiety among the patients visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) of a Dental Institution in Panchkula, Haryana. MATERIALS & METHOD: A sample of 600 adults (Females =298, Males = 302) with age ranging from 21 years to 65 years were enrolled in the study. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale was used to measure dental anxiety among the study population. Chi Square test and ANOVA was used to find significant comparisons between the different variables assessed in the study. Further, Spearman's Correlation was used to analyse these variables with the mean anxiety scores of the patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of anxiety among patients was found to be high. Reportedly the level of anxiety was found more in females than in males. It was revealed that with advancing age and higher education level, there was a decrease in level of anxiety, postponement of the dental treatment had a direct effect on dental anxiety. Previous unfavourable dental experience has a high impact on dental anxiety scores. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of anxiety levels in the subjects of this study suggests that majority of them are anxious towards dental treatment. Dental anxiety is one of the major barrier in the utilization of dental services. There is a strict need of directing efforts towards alleviation of this hindrance to provide a good quality dental care to the needy population.