The potential of heart rate variability for exploring dental anxiety in mandibular third molar surgery

An objective method to recognize patient psychology using heart rate variability (HRV) has recently been developed and is increasingly being used in medical practice. This study compared the potential of this new method with the use of conventional surveys measuring anxiety levels in patients undergoing impacted third molar (ITM) surgery. Patient anxiety was examined before treatment in 64 adults who required ITM surgery, using two methods: measurement of HRV and conventional questionnaire surveys (state section of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS)). Both methods were assessed for their respective abilities to determine the impact of personal background, the amount of information provided, and the surgical procedure on patient psychology. Questionnaires and HRV yielded the same finding: dental experience was the single background factor that correlated with patient anxiety; the other factors remain unclear. The STAI-S showed a significant relationship between the information provided to the patient and their anxiety level, while the DFS and HRV did not. In addition, HRV demonstrated its ability to assess the effects of the surgical procedure on patient psychology. HRV demonstrated great potential as an objective method for evaluating patient stress, especially for providing real-time information on the patient's status.