The role of anxiety in blood pressure variation before dental care

THAYARA LIMA DE MORAIS, GIRLEIDE DE SOUSA SILVA, EDER ALBERTO SIGUA-RODRIGUEZ, DOUGLAS RANGEL GOULART

Introduction: Fear and anxiety are common in patients requiring dental treatment. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between blood pressure and heart rate measurements and the degree of anxiety of patients awaiting dental care. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 68 randomly selected patients, aged between 18 and 65 years. Each patient answered a questionnaire consisting of questions involving sociodemographic data. To evaluate anxiety, the modified Corah Dental Anxiety Scale was used. The patients underwent two consecutive blood pressure and heart rate assessments using the device model 7113 Omron. Results: Sixty-eight patients were evaluated, with female prevalence and mean age of 40.49 years. It was found that patients who reported being hypertensive had higher blood pressure measurements. Men presented higher pressure measurement, with statistically significant difference (p<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences regarding the procedure to be performed and the degree of anxiety. Conclusion: The degree of anxiety does not seem to influence blood pressure and heart rate measurements; patients who are hypertensive seem to be more likely to variation of these measures in the face of stress situations.

Keywords: Anxiety. Dental anxiety. Tooth extraction. Anesthesia. Dentistry.

How to cite: Morais TL, Silva GS, Sigua-Rodriguez EA, Goulart DR. The role of anxiety in blood pressure variation before dental care. J Braz Coll Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2020 Sept-Dec;6(3):30-6.

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