Dental anxiety in general dental practitioner’s everyday life

Abstract

Dental anxiety is a significant contributor to poor oral health, and pain plays a central role in its development. Adequate use of local anesthetic injections is therefore essential for preventing and reducing anxiety in dental settings. This study aimed to estimate how often Norwegian dentists encounter patients with dental anxiety in routine clinical practice and to examine the association between anticipatory dental anxiety and anxiety related to injections of local anesthetic. A total of 5,880 dental patients from all regions of Norway completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). General dental practitioners (GDPs) in Norway were found to encounter a substantial proportion of patients with clinically relevant dental anxiety: approximately one in ten patients reported moderate dental anxiety (MDAS ≥ 15), and one in twenty met the threshold for high dental anxiety (MDAS ≥ 19). The highest anxiety scores were observed among women and patients aged 20‣40 years. Among patients with high anticipatory anxiety, eight out of ten also reported clinically significant fear of injections. These findings underscore the need for systematic assessment and early management of dental anxiety, including both anticipatory anxiety and injection-related anxiety, to safeguard oral health and ensure ethically sound, high-quality dental care.