Prediction of Dental Anxiety Based on Pain Anxiety and Mental Pain Among People Referred to Dental Clinics in Kermanshah City

Toothache is one of the most common complaints related to dental services. People may experience high levels of anxiety when visiting a dentist or avoid receiving services. The term dental anxiety is used to describe a specific type of anxiety caused by the dental environment. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological factors affecting dental anxiety.Materials &

The present study was conducted based on a descriptive-cross-sectional design. Participants were selected via convenience sampling. The sample in this study included 328 patients referred to dental clinics in Kermanshah in 2020-2021. The instruments used in this study included the Pain Anxiety Questionnaire (PASS-20), Dental Anxiety Inventory (DAI), and Mental Pain (OMMP). Finally, after data collection, the data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24) using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis.

Based on the results of the Pearson correlation coefficient, pain anxiety showed a positive and significant correlation with dental anxiety (r=0.45) and mental pain (r=0.25) (P=0.001). Based on the results of multivariate regression analysis (Enter), pain anxiety (β=0.356) and mental pain (β=0.139) were significant predictors of dental anxiety (P<0.05).

As evidenced by the results of the current study, it can be concluded that psychological factors, such as pain anxiety and mental pain, are effective in dental anxiety. Furthermore, a great deal of pain anxiety can increase dental anxiety due to people’s distorted perceptions of dental services.