Original Article
Assessment of the anxiety levels of orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Ersin YıldırımORCID, Artemisa AdıgüzelORCID, Şeniz KaraçayORCID
Cite
Yıldırım E, Adıgüzel A, Karaçay Ş. Assessment of the anxiety levels of orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Dent Res. 2021;11(Suppl. 1):74-80. https://doi.org/10.5577/intdentres.2021.vol11.suppl1.12
- eISSN
- 2146-1767
- Submitted
- 25 September 2021
- Accepted
- 19 May 2021
- Published
- 30 September 2021
- Pages
- 74-80
Abstract
Aim: This study aims to determine the anxiety levels of orthodontic patients related to the coronavirus pandemic and to evaluate the effects of quarantine on orthodontic appointments and orthodontic treatment.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted as an online survey with the participation of patients who were actively receiving orthodontic treatment. A total of 281 orthodontic patients (191 [67.97%] females and 90 [32.03%] males) participated in the survey. The questionnaire consisted of five sections that included questions about demographics, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the patients’ orthodontic status. Anxiety levels were measured using Turkish versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk normality tests, the Pearson correlation test, and the Mann Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Regarding patients’ perceptions of the pandemic, 251 patients (89.32%) reported that they were sufficiently informed about COVID-19. The main concern about the effects of quarantine on orthodontic treatment was the delay of orthodontic treatment at a rate of 58.36% (164/281). This study found that 36% (103/281) of the participants exhibited anxiety symptoms. The prevalence of dental anxiety specifically was 33% (95/281). Our study results reveal a significant relationship between dental anxiety and general anxiety, which indicates that dentally anxious people tend to also be generally anxious. Females had significantly higher anxiety levels than males (p <0.001).
Conclusion: The coronavirus pandemic and quarantine seem to impact orthodontic patients’ anxiety. Delay of treatment was the primary concern of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Female patients were more anxious than males.
How to cite this article: Yıldırım E, Adıgüzel A, Karaçay Ş. Assessment of the anxiety levels of orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Dent Res 2021;11(Suppl.1):73-9. https://doi.org/10.5577/intdentres.2021.vol11.suppl1.12
Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.
Keywords
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by International Dental Research.