Association of dental anxiety with personality traits among Al Azhar arts students in Thodupuzha, Kerala

Dental anxiety remains a barrier to dental care for a considerable proportion of the population. The psychological profile of patients dentally anxious but not highly anxious is quite similar to normal (non-anxious) patients’ profile. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess personality traits and prevalence of dental anxiety and to find an association between dental anxiety and personality traits in arts students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 arts students out of which 86 were males and 44 were females. Modified dental anxiety scale was used to measure dental anxiety using a five-point Likert scale. Personality trait was assessed using the short-form revised Eysenck personality questionnaire scale which consisted of 48 questions. Statistical analysis was done using independent t -test with statistical significance at 5%. Results: Overall prevalence of dental anxiety was 56.93% (males 53.38% and females 63.63%). The mean score of dental anxiety for males was 9.6 ± 3.7 and for females 11.3 ± 4.2, and difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). A total of 30 (23.07%) were classified as extraversion, 24 (18.46%) as neuroticism, 32 (24.61%) as lie scale, and 20 (15.38%) as psychoticism according to the scale used. In the present study, there was no association between dental anxiety and personality trait. Conclusion: In general, dental anxiety is not gender related, but in the present study, females had higher dental anxiety (63.63%) compared to males (53.38%).