ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oral Health
Sec. Oral Epidemiology
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1689805
Factors Associated with Dental Anxiety in Patients Treated at an integrated Dental Clinic: A cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
Luis Alberto Chauca Bajaña1*
Alba Perez-Jardon2Carlos Carpio Cevallos1Andrea Ordoñez Balladares1,3PATRICIO PROAÑO YELA1
Byron Velasquez Ron4*Leonardo Javier Siguencia Suarez1CARLA VERENICE ROMO OLVERA1Diana ESTEFANIA ORELLANA GUERRERO1
Mario Perez Sayans2- 1University of Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- 2Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- 3Universidad Bolivariana del Ecuador, Duran, Ecuador
- 4Universidad de Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
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Background Dental anxiety is a widespread issue that significantly impacts oral health behaviors, often leading individuals to postpone or avoid dental care. This avoidance can result in more complex and invasive treatments. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of dental anxiety and associated factors among patients attending the dental clinic at the University of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Materials and methods A total of 389 patients were assessed using three validated instruments: the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), the Dental Anxiety Short Scale (SDAI), and the Dental Anxiety and Fear Diagnosis (DAYMO). Statistical analyses included bivariate tests and correlation analyses using Spearman's rho and Pearson's chi-square tests. Results Among the participants, 63.8% were female and 36.3% were male. Women reported significantly higher levels of anxiety across all assessment tools (p < 0.05). Based on the SDAI, 47% of patients exhibited moderate to severe anxiety, whereas 19% reported high anxiety levels on the MDAS. The DAYMO instrument revealed that 51.2% of participants experienced mild anxiety, and 27.8% had moderate anxiety. Common anxiety triggers included fear of pain, past negative dental experiences, and concerns about needles or oral hygiene practices. Conclusions Dental anxiety was prevalent among patients, particularly among women, with most experiencing mild to moderate levels. These findings underscore the importance of addressing psychological factors in dental care settings to improve patient experience and outcomes.
Keywords: Dental Anxiety, Anxiety factors, Prevalence, Oral Health, Psychological factors
Received: 20 Aug 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alberto Chauca Bajaña, Perez-Jardon, Carpio Cevallos, Ordoñez Balladares, PROAÑO YELA, Velasquez Ron, Siguencia Suarez, ROMO OLVERA, ORELLANA GUERRERO and Perez Sayans. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Luis Alberto Chauca Bajaña, University of Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Byron Velasquez Ron, Universidad de Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
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