Anxiety and dental treatments in a hospital in Lima, Peru

The dental treatment anxiety affects patient care consultation, regardless of the dental specialty, each with own treatment acts.

To determine the anxiety level of dental treatment of operative dentistry and oral surgery in a hospital of Lima.

The study was conducted in the specialties of operative dentistry and oral surgery, with 72 patients from each specialty, chosen at random over a period of five months, through their answers at Beck Anxiety Inventory.

The level of anxiety of patients was similar in the two specialties (p = 0.402). No statistical significant difference was found between anxiety and the patient's sex (p = 0.06), nor with the age of the patient (p = 0.08), nor with the sex of the operator (p = 0.521). The higher frequency of anxiety was the minimum level, 86.1% in operative dentistry and 79.2% in oral surgery. A difference was found between anxiety levels of patients from each specialty (p < 0.001).

The frequency of anxiety before entering the specialty was similar, minimum level. Other research is required to determine whether the degree of anxiety is related to the patient's care to dental specialties services.