Pre-operative anxiety assessment in the dentistry prior a third molar surgery

OBJECTIVES Evaluate trait anxiety and state anxiety in a group of dentists sub-jected to a stressful event such as surgical extraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Healthcare professionals are of-ten at risk of developing anxiety disorders. In this study, the au-thors administered the psycho-metric test STAI-Y to 25 Italian dentists to assess their levels of anxiety before third molar sur-gery. The STAI-Y assesses both state and trait anxiety. RESULTS The results showed that the aver-age raw scores for state and trait anxiety were 33.12 and 34.64, respectively. DISCUSSION Compared to other studies con-ducted using the same psycho-metric instrument, the Italian dentists in this study displayed lower levels of state and trait anxiety, suggesting a lower risk of developing anxiety disorders prior to third molar surgery com-pared to other healthcare profes-sionals. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests seeking sup-port from peers or mental health professionals, using stress-reduction practices including mindful-ness practices and meditation, and ensuring adequate rest and self-care. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE In this way, healthcare profes-sionals can provide the best pos-sible care to their patients, while also prioritizing their own well-being.