Does completing a dental anxiety questionnaire increase anxiety?  A randomised controlled trial with adults in general dental practice.

The assessment of dental anxiety can be achieved by using brief multi-item scales.

Objective To test the null hypothesis that completing the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale had no immediate influence on patient state anxiety.

Outcome measure Speilberger State Anxiety Inventory-6 item Short Form.

Study design Randomised controlled trial.

Participants Patients ( n = 1,028) attending 18 dental practices in Northern Ireland were invited to participate.

Results Twenty-four patients refused ( response rate 98%) providing 1,004 patients ( mean age = 41 years, range = 16 to 90 years; 65% female) for analysis. Patients who completed the dental anxiety scale were found to have a virtually identical state anxiety score: mean (SD) = 11.36 (4.33) compared to those who completed the state anxiety assessment only: mean ( SD) = 11.01 ( 4.35). The mean (CI95%) difference was 0.35 (0.89 to - 0.18), t = 1.29, df1002, p = 0.2.

Conclusion The completion of a brief dental anxiety questionnaire before seeing the dentist has a non significant effect on state anxiety.