Özet:

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the levels of dental anxiety of first and fourth-class students studying at the Faculty of Dentistry. Method: Our study included a total of 127 students, including 82 first class, 45 fourth class, who were taught at the Faculty of Dentistry. The survey forms containing the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and demographic information, consisting of 5 frequently used questions for the measurement of dental anxiety, were distributed to the participants. Participants with a MDAS score of 19 or higher were assessed and recorded as having a high dental anxiety level. Statistical analysis of the data obtained was conducted using one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) with the Student t test. Results: In all questions, the MDAS scores of the first class were higher and in all other questions, except the first question, there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of scores (p<0.001). The average MDAS score obtained in the first classes (14.28±4.09) was significantly higher than the average MDAS score obtained in the fourth classes (10.59±3.67 ) (p<0.001). The number of students with the MDAS score ≥ 19 was 10 in the first class (12.2%) and 1 in the fourth class (22.2%). Results: The levels of students studying in the first class in Dentistry are higher than those studying in the fourth class. There is a reverse ratio between dental education and dental anxiety. According to these data, it can be said that increasing information about dental processes can reduce the levels of dental anxiety in individuals.

Özet:

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the levels of dental anxiety among the first and fourth year dentistry students. Methods: A total of 127 dentistry students (82 first year and 45 fourth year) were enrolled in the study. Questionnaire forms including Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and demographic information, consisting of 5 questions frequently used for measuring dental anxiety, were distributed to the participants. Participants with an MDAS score of 19 or higher were evaluated as having a high level of dental anxiety and were recorded. The data were analyzed by Student t test and ANOVA. Results: The MDAS scores of the first year student were higher in all questions and there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of scores in all other questions except the first question (p <0.001). The mean MDAS score in the first year (14.28 ± 4.09) was significantly higher than the mean MDAS score in the fourth year (10.59 ± 3.67) (p <0.001). The number of students with MDAS score ≥ 19 was 10 (12.2%) in the first year and 1 (2.2%) in the fourth year. Conclusion: First year dentistry students have higher levels than fourth year students. There was an inverse relationship between dental education and dental anxiety. According to these data, it can be said that dental anxiety levels of individuals can be decreased by increasing the information about dental procedures.

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