ANXIETY RELATED TO DENTAL TREATMENT AMONG PATIENTS ATTENDING THE DENTAL OPD

Objective: Dental anxiety is an important barrier that limits patient access to productive dental treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of anxiety in adult patients by age and sex who attended the dental OPD using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Study Design: A Cross-Sectional Study. Place and Duration: In the Out Patient Department of Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore for one year duration from January 2019 to January 2020. Materials and methods: The demographic data was recorded on the version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire. The statistical analysis program (SPSS v.21) was used to enter data and analyze in the study. Results: 191 patients, 106 women and 85 men were included in the study. The most disturbing factor was dental injection, and the lowest level of concern was about cleaning and polishing teeth. The results showed that women showed higher levels of anxiety than men. Conclusion: Dental anxiety is a major obstacle for both the dentist and the patient. Dental fear leads to avoiding treatment and deteriorating oral health. Improving public awareness and oral health education can reduce the level of dental fear. Key words: dental anxiety, fear, public dental clinics