Dental anxiety in general dental practitioner’s everyday life
- 1epartment of Paediatric Dentistry and Oral Health Psychology, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Abstract
IntroductionDental anxiety is a significant contributor to poor oral health, and pain plays a central role in its development. Adequate use of local anesthetic injections is therefore essential for preventing and reducing anxiety in dental settings. This study aimed to estimate how often Norwegian dentists encounter patients with dental anxiety in routine clinical practice and to examine the association between anticipatory dental anxiety and anxiety related to injections of local anesthetic.MethodsA total of 5,880 dental patients from all regions of Norway completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS).ResultsGeneral dental practitioners (GDPs) in Norway were found to encounter a substantial proportion of patients with clinically relevant dental anxiety: approximately one in ten patients reported moderate dental anxiety (MDAS ≥ 15), and one in twenty met the threshold for high dental anxiety (MDAS ≥ 19). The highest anxiety scores were observed among women and patients aged 20‣40 years. Among patients with high anticipatory anxiety, eight out of ten also reported clinically significant fear of injections.DiscussionThese findings underscore the need for systematic assessment and early management of dental anxiety, including both anticipatory anxiety and injection-related anxiety, to safeguard oral health and ensure ethically sound, high-quality dental care.
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BibTeX
@article{willumsen2026dental,
title = {{Dental anxiety in general dental practitioner’s everyday life}},
author = {Tiril Willumsen and Charlotte Knutsen and Mathilde M. Gran and Anne Rønneberg},
journal = {Frontiers in Dental Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fdmed.2026.1987579},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fdmed.2026.1987579},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dental anxiety in general dental practitioner’s everyday life
AU - Tiril Willumsen
AU - Charlotte Knutsen
AU - Mathilde M. Gran
AU - Anne Rønneberg
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in Dental Medicine
DO - 10.3389/fdmed.2026.1987579
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fdmed.2026.1987579
AB - IntroductionDental anxiety is a significant contributor to poor oral health, and pain plays a central role in its development. Adequate use of local anesthetic injections is therefore essential for preventing and reducing anxiety in dental settings. This study aimed to estimate how often Norwegian dentists encounter patients with dental anxiety in routine clinical practice and to examine the association between anticipatory dental anxiety and anxiety related to injections of local anesthetic.MethodsA total of 5,880 dental patients from all regions of Norway completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS).ResultsGeneral dental practitioners (GDPs) in Norway were found to encounter a substantial proportion of patients with clinically relevant dental anxiety: approximately one in ten patients reported moderate dental anxiety (MDAS ≥ 15), and one in twenty met the threshold for high dental anxiety (MDAS ≥ 19). The highest anxiety scores were observed among women and patients aged 20‣40 years. Among patients with high anticipatory anxiety, eight out of ten also reported clinically significant fear of injections.DiscussionThese findings underscore the need for systematic assessment and early management of dental anxiety, including both anticipatory anxiety and injection-related anxiety, to safeguard oral health and ensure ethically sound, high-quality dental care.
SN - 2673-4915
ER -