Evaluation of patients anxiety and dental fear in dental implant procedures

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to analyse the effects of surgical intervention in individuals scheduled for routine dental implant procedures on their anxiety levels and dental phobia. Materials and Methods: The aim of our study is to determine the levels of fear and anxiety associated with implant surgery. A total of 74 patients who applied to our department for routine dental implant procedures were included in the study. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were recorded and analysed. The MDAS and DKS were used to measure dental fear and anxiety levels. Results: This study included 74 individuals, aged between 18 and 72 years (mean age: 41.74 ± 14.9), who applied to our department for dental implant procedures. Of these participants, 39 were female (52.7%) and 35 were male (47.3%). According to the MDAS responses, the highest average score was recorded for the first item (2.51 ± 0.97), whereas the lowest was noted for the fourth item (1.82 ± 0.99). Among female participants, total MDAS scores ranged from 5 to 20, with a mean of 10.87 ± 4.17. In terms of the Dental Fear Scale (DFS), total scores for female participants varied between 20 and 94, yielding a mean score of 45.3 ± 21.3. For male participants, total MDAS scores ranged from 5 to 17, with a mean value of 9.31 ± 3.5, whereas DFS scores varied between 20 and 87, with an average score of 36.3 ± 17.8. Conclusion: The DFS scores of female participants were found to be statistically significant compared to male participants with a p<0.05 value. The MDAS total scores were not found to be statistically significant with a p>0.05 value. The variability in dental fear levels observed between genders is thought to stem from biological differences in brain structure and neurophysiological functions between female and male individuals. Keywords: Dental İmplant, Dental Fear Scale, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale.