The Level of Anxiety and Pain Perception of Endodontic Patients.
OBJECTIVE
to compare the level of anxiety reported by patients and assessed by dentists. Also, the expected and actual pain during the treatment perceived by the patient and dentist were assessed.


METHODS
sixty six endodontic patients filled in two questionnaires, prior to and after the treatment, so did their therapists. The first set of questions for patients was regarding demographics, the frequency of dental visits, the level of anxiety and expectations about the level of pain. Before the treatment, dentists estimated the level of patients' anxiety and the expected intensity of pain. After the treatment, the patients evaluated the level of experienced pain and dentists' empathy during the treatment, while dentists reassessed the intensity of patients' pain.The data were statistically analysed by t-test for paired samples and by Spearmans's Rho correlation coefficient at level of significance set at 0.05.


RESULTS
Patients' expectation of pain intensity was higher than the actual pain during the treatment (t-test=3.540, p=0.001). There was no difference in the level of pain which dentists expected and their perception of pain during the procedure. There was a statistically significant correlation between the patients' level of anxiety and recognition of it by dentists (Spearman Rho=0.460, p<0.001). A higher level of anxiety increased the expected intensity of pain (Spearman Rho=0.401, p=0.001). Actual intensity of pain was not significantly associated with dental anxiety (Spearman Rho=0.080, p=0.524).


CONCLUSIONS
Since the level of dental anxiety was associated with the increased intensity of expected pain, a vicious cycle of pain and anxiety may be terminated by giving positive information to the patient before and during endodontic procedures.
Healt Center Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ivana
I
Perković
Private Practice of Dental Medicine, Zagreb.
Martina Knežević
MK
Romić
Private Practice of Dental Medicine, Samobor.
Marina
M
Perić
Department of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine University of Zagreb, Croatia.
Silvana Jukić
SJ
Krmek
anxiety; endodontic treatment; pain
J Am Dent Assoc. 1984 Sep;109(3):444-6
6592232
J Dent Res. 2005 Oct;84(10):947-50
16183796
Eur J Oral Sci. 1995 Dec;103(6):399-404
8747677
Int Dent J. 1992 Aug;42(4):217-22
1399038
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2002 Apr;30(2):151-9
12000356
Behav Res Ther. 1996 May-Jun;34(5-6):459-76
8687368
Dent Clin North Am. 1992 Apr;36(2):393-408
1572506
Eur J Oral Sci. 2004 Dec;112(6):477-83
15560829
Eur J Oral Sci. 1996 Jun;104(3):245-52
8831058
J Can Dent Assoc. 1992 Jul;58(7):580, 583-5
1511367
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2012 Jan;9(1):44-54
22470277
Dent Update. 2008 Apr;35(3):196-8, 201-2, 204 passim
18507228
Acta Odontol Scand. 1990 Dec;48(6):365-9
2288208
Behav Res Ther. 1990;28(1):29-41
2302147
J Am Dent Assoc. 1978 Nov;97(5):816-9
31377
Dent Clin North Am. 1988 Oct;32(4):779-90
3053270
Br Dent J. 2008 Aug 9;205(3):E7; discussion 142-3
18596822
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2000 Dec;28(6):451-60
11106018
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1991 Apr;19(2):120-4
2049919
Int Dent J. 1993 Jun;43(3 Suppl 1):265-78
8406957
Int Dent J. 1999 Feb;49(1):60-6
10887475
Int Endod J. 2006 May;39(5):384-8
16640637
Int Dent J. 1995 Feb;45(1):45-8
7607744
J Endod. 2011 Apr;37(4):429-38
21419285
Int Dent J. 1982 Mar;32(1):44-55
6122648