Dental anxiety among Wisma Lincoln University College community

Abstract

Dental anxiety is common among people of all ages, which results in delay and avoidance of dental visit and eventually deterioration of oral health. The aim of this study is to assess the dental anxiety level among the community in Wisma Lincoln University College. A cross-sectional study was carried out from April to December 2018. A total of 186 participants were included in this study. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used to assess participants’ dental anxiety level. The prevalence of participants with severe anxiety level was 16.7% (n=31), with Indian female being the highest number (n=6, 20%). Participants felt most anxious if they were to receive a local anesthetic injection, with a mean score of 2.04 for male and 3.76 for female. With regards to the aspects of dental treatment that make participants anxious, 74.7% (n=139) of the participants would feel anxious about extraction, followed by pain arising from treatment (63.4%, n=118) and fear of injury caused by dental instrument (60.8%, n=113). In conclusion, 16.7% of the community in Wisma Lincoln University College were highly anxious, with Indian female being most anxious (20%).