Heart rate and anxiety measurement during mandibular impacted third molar surgery in patients referring to Tabriz dental faculty in 1397-98

Abstract

Background and aims : Phobia from dental office and services and its stress is very severe and prevalent, which causes patients to ignore dental services or bear them in a very hard psychologic situation. The aim of this study was to measure patient’s heart rate and anxiety during removal of the third mandibular impacted molar. Method & Material: 20 patients referring to department of surgery Tabriz dental faculty, were studied. Their chief complaint was pain and discomfort in third molar which was because of soft tissue inflammation (pericoronitis) or caries. Catel's anxiety questioner was offered to the patients to answer its questions. The patient's heart rate was examined from the moment he was placed on the unit until the end of the surgery in 5 steps of anesthetizing, dripping and flushing, during flapping, during bone removal and maturation. All surgeries were performed under local Anesthesia, and without administration of nitrous oxide (NO) and sedatives. The surgeries included gingival incision, mucoperiosteal flap and bone removal by round bars. The patients were administered antibiotic and NSAID, after surgery. Results: Among 20 patients, 10 (50%) were male and 10 (50%) were female. The mean age of the participants in the study (± 5.2) was 30 years. The mean heart rate during anesthetic injection was 94/94. The mean heart rate was 91.95 in the dripping and flushing stage. The average heart rate during flapping was 104.6. The mean heart rate during the removal of the bone was 107. The mean heart rate during suturing was 98. According to catel's questioner answers, the anxiety was measured about 37.50. Men that comprised 50% of patients had average anxiety of 33.20 and women had an average anxiety of 41.80. Conclusion: Patients with third molar surgery show moderate to symptomatic anxiety. The study showed the more anxiety and mean heart rate of women in comparison with men for third impacted mandibular molar surgery. There was no statistically significant relationship between heart rate and age, and anxiety and age in surgical procedures. The average heart rate in the group with mild anxiety was lower than the mean heart rate group with severe anxiety. Also, there was a significant difference between the mean heart rate in the group with moderate anxiety and mean heart rate in the group with severe anxiety. The average heart rate in the group with moderate anxiety was lower than the mean heart rate in the group with severe anxiety.