The Approach to Reducing Anxiety Among Dental Patients age 18-59 years at the Dental Clinic for Education, Sirindhorn College of Public Health Phitsanulok

Abstract

This mixed-method research aimed to study the factors influencing dental anxiety, the underlying causes of dental anxiety, and the approach to reducing anxiety among dental patients aged 18-59 years at the Dental Clinic for Education at the Sirindhorn College of Public Health in Phitsanulok. The quantitative component involved 125 participants receiving services at the clinic. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and the validity and reliability of the dental anxiety scale was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.867. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were employed for data analysis. For the qualitative component, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants to explore the underlying causes of dental anxiety, while focus group discussions with 8 participants were employed to investigate strategies for reducing anxiety. The quality of the qualitative tools was ensured using triangulation and data were analyzed using content analysis.

               The results revealed that factors influencing dental anxiety included lack of knowledge or guidance from instructors (β=0.22), not receiving pit and fissure sealants or fluoride treatments (β=0.25), previous experience with dental instruments (β=0.22), no prior dental service experience (β=0.18), and no prior experience with dental fillings (β=0.19), which collectively accounted for 18.0% of the variance. The identified causes of anxiety included the use of dental instruments, dental care providers, certain types of dental treatments, and experiences of procedural injury. Strategies for reducing dental anxiety among patients was comprised of three components: the patients themselves, the dental care providers, and the clinical environment. The findings indicate that these factors can be applied to produce practical guidelines for dental service provision, helping patients to reduce anxiety, attend dental services regularly, and, consequently, prevent oral health problems and other complications that may arise after dental treatment.