Effect of face protection on dental anxiety

Dental anxiety is a common condition reported by patients and creates a barrier to receiving dental treatment. The modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) is used to measure dental anxiety based on how patients rate their feelings when exposed to specific situations. Face protection is worn by dentists and other health care professionals, but has the potential to create another barrier to treatment, perhaps even increasing the patient's feelings of anxiety. In addition, most face masks offer very little protection against airborne bacteria or hepatitis B virus and can negatively affect communication and the expression of empathy for the patient.
Source: Dental Abstracts - Category: Dentistry Tags: Hands On Source Type: research