Investigation of the patients’ perception on dental treatment and their anxiety levels during the COVID-19 pandemic process

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anxiety levels of patients against dental treatment during the pandemic process and to get some information about the level of awareness, perceptions and attitudes of patients applying for dental treatment. Also to determine the relationship between anxiety levels and sociodemographic variables of individuals. Materials and Methods: 300 patients who applied to the dentistry faculty were included in this study and a questionnaire form was applied to these patients. The survey consist of three parts; in the first part patients' sociodemographic variables were asked, secondly State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-STAI developed by Spielberger was used to measure the level of anxiety and in the last part a questionnaire form about the perceived sensitivity to Covid-19 developed by the authors was applied. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS for Windows version 24.0 and a P value < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. The normality of distribution of continuous variables was tested by Shaphiro Wilk test. Mann whitney u test for and Kruskal Wallis test and Dunn multiple comparison tests were for used to compare non-normal data across 2 or more than 2 groups. Results: A total of 300 patients, 155 men and 145 women, participated in the study. The mean state anxiety score was 43.38 ± 8.34. Significant differences were not found among the independent variables affecting the level of anxiety, age, gender, marital status, education, whether individuals have had Covid-19. When the questions evaluating the patients perception on dental treatment were compared with the anxiety scores, statistically significant differences were found. Conclusion: Although dentistry has the highest risk of contamination, it has been determined that dentists' care with protective equipment does not have a problem for patients. It has been determined that the anxiety level of the patients is high in places such as dental hospitals where many patients are treated, but they are aware of the preventive measures to be taken against the pandemic process.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• dental treatment
• anxiety

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