Dental Anxiety Affects Operation Quality and Surgeon’s Comfort in Oral Surgery

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Impacted third molar extraction generally provokes a high level of anxiety in patients, and causes stress and discomfort to the operating surgeon. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of anxiety on the surgery quality and surgeon’s comfort in third molar surgery. Materials and Methods “STAI-T” and “STAI-S” questionnaires, which are used to measure anxiety, was administered to 110 patients via an interview in order to measure their levels of preoperative anxiety. The time necessary for the tooth extraction (starting from the first incision to the last suture) was recorded. After the operation, a questionnaire including eight questions was administered to surgeons who performed the third molar surgery. Results The results of STAI-T and STAI-S questionnaires were not statistically different between men and women (p>0.05). Trouble in pain control was seen in patients with high scores of STAI-T. Negative correlation was found between STAI-S scores and operation quality and surgeons’ comfort. Conclusion Patient cooperation is an important factor in oral surgery procedures. Assessing the patient’s anxiety level and taking necessary precautions before the operation is important for both patient and surgeon’s comfort during the oral surgery operations.

Keywords

• Dental Anxiety
• Impacted Third Molar Surgery
• Oral Surgery; STAI-T and STAI-S Questionnaires
• Third Molar

References

1. 1. Hakeberg M, Berggren U, Carlsson SG. Prevalence of dental anxiety in an adult population in a major urban area in Sweden. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol 1992; 20: 97-101.
2. 2. Vassend O. Anxiety, pain and discomfort associated with dental treatment. Behav Res Ther 1993; 31: 659-66.
3. 3. Milgrom P, Fiset L, Melnick S, Weinstein P. The prevalence and practice management consequences of dental fear in a major US city. J Am Dent Assoc 1988; 116: 641-7.
4. 4. Corah NL. Development of dental anxiety scale. J Dent Res 1969; 48(4): 596.
5. 5. Lago-Méndez L, Diniz-Freitas M, Senra-Rivera C, Seoane-Pesqueira G, Gándara-Rey JM, García-García A. Postoperative recovery after removal of a lower third molar: the role of trait and dental anxiety. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009; 108: 855-60.
6. 6. Kömerik N, Muğlalı M. Ağız cerrahisinde anksiyete kontrolü: Hastaların bilgilendirilmesi. Atatürk Üniv Diş Hek Fak Derg 2005; 15(3): 25-33.
7. 7. Miller AA. Psychological considerations in dentistry. J Am Dent Assoc 1970; 81: 941-8.
8. 8. Berksun O. Anksiyete ve Anksiyete Bozuklukları (2nd ed.). İstanbul: Turgut Yayıncılık AŞ. 2003, pp 78-81.

9. 9. Işık E, Taner YL. Çocuk, Ergen ve Yetişkinlerde Anksiyete Bozuklukları. İstanbul, Golden Print. 2006, pp 121-25.
10. 10. Onem E. The relationship among state-trair anxiety, foreign language anxiety and test anxiety in an EFL setting. Dil Dergisi 2010; 148: 17-36.
11. 11. Zeidner M. Test Anxiety-The State of Art. New York, USA, Plenum Press. 1998, pp 231-33.
12. 12. Doerr PA, Lang WP, Nyquist LV, Ronis DL. Factors associated with dental anxiety. J Am Dent Assoc 1998; 129: 1111-9. 13. Liau FL, Kok SH, Lee JJ, Kuo RC, Hwang CR, Yang PJ, et al. Cardiovascular influence of dental anxiety during local anesthesia for tooth extraction. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2008; 105: 16-26.
13. 14. Sitheeque M, Massoud M, Yahya S, Humphris G. Validation of the Malay version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and the prevalence of dental anxiety in a Malaysian population. J Investig Clin Dent 2015; 6(4): 313-20.
14. 15. Liddell A, Locker D. Gender and age differences in attitudes to dental pain and dental control. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1997; 25: 314-8.
15. 16. Thomson WM, Locker D, Poulton R. Incidence of dental anxiety in young adults in relation to dental treatment experience. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2000; 28: 289-294.
16. 17. Aznar-Arasa L, Figueiredo R, Valmaseda-Castellón E, Gay-Escoda C. Patient anxiety and surgical difficulty in impacted lower third molar extractions: a prospective cohort study.Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2014; 43(9): 1131-6. *Poster Presentation - The ACBID 10th International Congress 11-15 May 2016, Antalya, TURKEY