Dental anxiety in adult patients treated by dental students: A systematic review

Purpose/objectives Dental anxiety is common and can propagate a vicious cycle of dental neglect and anxiety‐provoking treatment. Patient, procedural, and operator factors are important contributions. This review aims to explore risk factors for dental anxiety in adult patients treated by dental students, in order to improve awareness of relevant factors and aid patient management. Methods Systematic searching of PubMed and Scopus databases was performed. Inclusion criteria were: studies assessing at least 1 risk factor for dental anxiety in patients aged 18 years and above treated by dental students, with use of a specific measurement scale for dental anxiety. Exclusion criteria were: duplicates, non‐English publications, non‐full‐text publications, studies with a pediatric sample. Results Nine hundred thirty‐one articles were identified. Eight eligible articles representing 1702 patients were included. Seven studies had a cross‐sectional design and 1 study had a pretreatment/posttreatment design. Sixteen factors for dental anxiety were assessed. A significant correlation (P