Magnitude and Determinants of Dental Anxiety among Adult Patients Attending Public Dental Clinics in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania
Kauther Musalam, Karpal Singh Sohal, Sira Stanslaus Owibingire, Baraka Kileo
Abstract
Introduction. It is estimated that, about 40% of the population suffer from dental anxiety. Dental anxiety is considered to be complex and multifactorial with a wide range of provoking factors which may be patient, provider, or environment-related. Aim. This study aimed to assess the magnitude and determinants of dental anxiety among adult patients attending public dental clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methodology. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in 4 public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It included 300 adult patients who had dental caries, periodontal diseases, or dental trauma. Data were collected using a self-administered Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the SPSS computer software version 23. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the association between variables, and the significance level was set at <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"><a:mi>p</a:mi><a:mo><</a:mo><a:mn>0.05</a:mn></a:math> . Results. The mean age of participants was 32.18 years (±11.06 SD) with a male-to-female ratio of 1 : 1.43. The means MDAS score was 12.84 ± 4.99. Tooth extraction had the highest mean MDAS score. The majority (261, 87%) of participants had mild-to-severe anxiety. The most common (72.2%) anxiety-provoking factor was an unsympathetic dentist; others included unawareness of the procedure to be carried out (58.3%) and the presence of apprehensive patients (52.0%). The level of anxiety was found to be statistically significantly associated ( <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"><c:mi>p</c:mi><c:mo><</c:mo><c:mn>0.05</c:mn></c:math> ) with young age [ <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"><e:mi>p</e:mi><e:mo>=</e:mo><e:mn>0.009</e:mn></e:math> , AOR 3.06 (95% CI, 1.32, 7.09), female patients [ <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4"><g:mi>p</g:mi><g:mo><</g:mo><g:mn>0.001</g:mn></g:math> , AOR 4.45 (95% CI, 2.05, 9.70)], and a higher education level [ <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M5"><i:mi>p</i:mi><i:mo><</i:mo><i:mn>0.05</i:mn></i:math> , AOR 2.32 (95% CI, 1.03, 5.25)]. Conclusion. The prevalence of dental anxiety was high among the participants of this study. Female gender, young age, and a higher level of education constituted determinants of dental anxiety. An unsympathetic practitioner, unawareness of the procedure, and presence of apprehensive patients were the common anxiety-provoking factors.