Fear and Anxiety Level in Dental Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Psychological support may be needed to help patients in the face of emotional disturbances that may be associated with the outbreak and to help them accomplish their fear and anxiety. Due to the increasing fear of COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic, patients may develop treatment avoidance behavior in dental practices. If the fear and anxiety levels of the patients can be determined, it may be easy to offer special approaches to them.

Officially, the first COVID-19 case in Turkey was diagnosed on March 10, 2020. To ensure social isolation, cities were locked down with residents to stay at home to prevent disease transmission. A very large part of the population may experience frustration, stress, and irritability while in isolation. Due to the prolonged lockdown and COVID-19 associated fear, the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens people's physical health and lives, is likely to trigger a wide variety of psychological problems such as anxiety and depression by increasing their stress levels. The risk of cross-infection in dentistry has been described as considerably high due to close physical contact between dental professionals and patients, and aerosols production during routine dental treatments. In this uncertain process, patients remain undecided about attending their dental appointments. Their concern is associated with the risk of getting infected and transmitting the disease to family members. All these factors may increase the mental stress of patients. The essential purpose of this study is to evaluate the COVID-19 fear and anxiety level, COVID-19 knowledge status, and information sources in dental patients in Turkey during the pandemic period.