Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess dental anxiety and fear levels between the first and final year dental students. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In order to evaluate the level of dental anxiety and fear against dental interventions, questionnaires that included Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and Dental Fear Scale (DFS) were applied to first year (n=106) and final year (n=57) dental students. Participants whose MDAS score value was ≥19 were considered as highly anxious. Data which also included the participants' demographic values were transferred to statistics software and examined through descriptive statistical methods. Results: Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and DFS score values were found to be significantly greater for the first year dental students compared to the final year students, suggesting higher dental anxiety and fear levels for the first year dental students (p<0.0001). High dental anxiety ratio among the first year students was 10.4%, while it was found to be 1.8% for the final year students (p=0.037). Mean value of DFS score was found to be 41.93 for the first year students and 32.98 for the final year students indicating a statistically significant difference (p<0.0001). Dental anxiety and fear levels of first year dental students were significantly higher when compared to final year dental students. Results of the present study suggest that dental education may have an influence on reducing the level of dental anxiety and fear.

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