Dental Anxiety Before Removal of a Third Molar and Association With General Trait Anxiety

PurposeThe aim of the present study was to evaluate dental anxiety in patients consulting for third molar removal, and to assess possible relationships with general trait anxiety.Materials and MethodsDental anxiety was measured using Corah’s Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Dental Fear Survey (DFS), and the state anxiety scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Trait anxiety was measured with the trait anxiety scale of the STAI.ResultsTrait anxiety showed significant positive correlations with both DAS score and DFS score. The 3 measures of dental anxiety all showed significant positive correlations with each other. The difference between men and women was only statistically significant in the case of trait anxiety.ConclusionThese results suggest that trait anxiety may be a useful predictor of a patient’s predisposition to dental anxiety.