Is Orthodontic Treatment Fearful?

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the anxiety level of prospective orthodontic patients. Methods: Dental Anxiety ScaleRevised (DAS-R) questionnaire was modified and filled by 101 subjects (53 females and 48 males) visiting for their orthodontic treatment. Results: 62.4 % patients had no or low anxiety levels and 9.9% and 5.9% showed high to severe anxiety levels respectively. There was no statistical significant difference seen between the anxiety levels in male and female patients. Conclusions: 37.6 % patients for orthodontic treatment showed moderate to severe anxiety levels with no significant difference seen in the overall anxiety levels between the genders.