Exploring the Levels of Dental Anxiety in Greek Patients

Dental anxiety is the apprehension experienced by an individual when confronted with matters related to dentistry, it impacts individuals' dental experiences and the dental healthcare providers' professional lives, contributing to increased tension and potentially compromising performance. Levels of dental anxiety differ across cultures.

To collect normative data on levels of dental anxiety in Greece from a representative sample of people attending their usual dentist for a routine dental appointment.

A cross-sectional study was applied. 1313 Adults were recruited, as they attended 1 of 6 different dental settings and were scheduled for a routine dental appointment involving any of the following routine procedures: Check-up, hygiene, restoration, extraction, and pain relief. Their anxiety levels were assessed by applying the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), and by using the cut-off scores of 12 and 19 for assessing moderate and extreme anxiety, respectively.

32.6% per cent of the respondents were found to be dentally anxious, out of which 8.2 % experienced high levels of dental anxiety. The mean MDAS score for the total study population was 10.36 (SD= 4.639). The findings indicated that females and first-time dental patients reported significantly higher levels of dental anxiety than males and repeat attendees. However, dental anxiety levels did not vary significantly across different dental procedures, age groups and dental settings. These results are in line with those reported by White in the U.S. population, demonstrating comparable levels of dental anxiety across both populations.

One in 3 patients visiting the dentist in Greece experience some level of dental anxiety. This finding underscores that dental anxiety is a prevalent public health concern in Greece. Dentists and healthcare providers should consider screening for dental anxiety that could lead to early identification and management.