[Treatment anxiety in oral and maxillofacial surgery].
BACKGROUND
Oral and maxillofacial operations are stressful treatment situations for patients. Specific data on this phenomenon were acquired through a multicenter study.


METHODS
A 10-page questionnaire was answered by 600 oral and maxillofacial patients before individual treatment. Control groups consisted of 800 surgical, dental, internal medicine and general practitioner patients. 26 practices and hospital departments in 11 German cities were involved in the study.


RESULTS
Both subjective anxiety assessment by patients and objective measurement (State Trait Anxiety Inventory; STAI) indicated a high level of treatment anxiety for oral and maxillofacial treatment. STAI scores for OMFS patients were significantly higher than in control groups. Especially female patients, patients treated under local anaesthesia and out-department patients showed high anxiety scores. Treatment experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery does not modify anxiety in case of recurrent treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Managing perioperative anxiety today is still a major challenge in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Irrespective of technical and pharmacological advances further studies on this topic and the development and establishing of stress-reducing and anxiolytic perioperative techniques are of considerable importance.
Hermes
Dirk
D
Klinik für Kiefer- und Gesichtschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany. hermesddd@aol.com
Saka
Bassam
B
Bahlmann
Ludger
L
Matthes
Michael
M
D000328:Adult; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000523:psychology*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000523:psychology