Ayesha Basit, Syed Muzammil Ali Shah, Maham Naeem, Sadia Mahmood.
Effect Of Dental Anxiety On Blood Pressure Of Patients Undergoing Dental Extractions Under Local Anesthesia.
Pak Oral Dental J Jan ;37(1):30-5.

Dental treatment especially surgical treatments like tooth extractions are usually considered by patients as a fearful procedure due to the sight of instruments and blood and the expected pain during and after the procedure. The fear and anxiety may raise the blood pressure which may further complicate the operative and postoperative phases. The study was aimed at finding a relationship between Dental anxiety and Blood Pressure fluctuations in patients undergoing dental extractions under local anesthesia. A total of 196 participants were included in the study after getting the written consent signed. Dental anxiety was measured by a Modified Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale. Blood pressure measurements were done at five different points during patients’ visit for dental extraction and were standardized according to the JNC (Joint National Committee)-8 guidelines for Hypertension. The local anesthetic solution used was Lidocaine 2% with 1:100,000 adrenaline in a 1.8 mL cartridge. The results showed that majority of the patients had a variable level of Dental Anxiety. No significant relationship was found between the level of dental anxiety and the blood pressure fluctuations, although some rise in diastolic blood pressures was found just after the administration of local anesthesia, possibly because of fear and pain due to needle penetration. It is concluded that the dental anxiety can be dealt with by a positive patient-dentist relationship and involving the patient in his/her treatment plan and procedure by explaining the procedure and reducing painful surprises to the patient.

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