Abstract:

Aim: This study aimed to compare the dental fear and anxiety of dental patients aged 6-12 years before and during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: The first phase of the study was conducted on Group 1 (n=350) before the pandemic and the second phase was conducted on Group 2 (n=350) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dental anxiety and fear were assessed using 4 scales: the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS), the modified child dental anxiety scale, the dental subscale of the children’s fear survey schedule (CFSS-DS), and the dental fear scale (DFS). In the second phase, participants also filled out a questionnaire related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM, Armonk, New York). Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups based on their socio-demographic variables (p>0.05). Scores during the pandemic decreased significantly for the MDAS, CFFS-DS and DFS (p=0.002, p=0.002, p=0.010, respectively). In Group 2, 2% of participants reported that their anxiety increased because of the changes in the dentists’ personal protective equipment and 30.9% reported that they were anxious about COVID-19 transmission. Conclusion: In this study, pediatric dental patients' dental fear and anxiety decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal protective equipment did not affect pediatric dental patients' dental fear and anxiety.

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