Determination of dental anxiety levels in dental faculty students

Abstract

Aim: Dental education is considered a highly stressful time consisting of a series of courses and practical programs aimed at developing interpersonal skills, learning the theoretical foundations of professional practices, and acquiring clinical skills. The aim of this study was to determine and comparatively examine preclinical and clinical students’ dental anxiety levels. Methodology: The study included third- and fourth-year students in the Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry. The students were asked to complete questionnaire forms, including the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (C-DAS), to determine their anxiety levels. Gender, age, and academic year were recorded. The significance level was set at p < 0.050. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in the median STAI-S, STAI-T, and C-DAS values between classes. A statistically significant correlation was found between the STAI-S, STAI-T, and C-DAS values. The C-DAS values of third-year female students were higher than those of male students. No difference was observed between the genders among fourth-year students. Conclusion: Neither preclinical nor clinical students exhibited high dental anxiety, and no differences were detected between classes. We believe that this result is associated with increases in education and acquired experience. How to cite this article: Sarıbaş E. Determination of dental anxiety levels in dental faculty students. Int Dent Res 2023;13(2):90-98. https://doi.org/10.5577/idr.2023.vol13.no2.7 Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.