Assessment of pain and anxiety following surgical placement of dental implants

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the change in 89 patients' pain and anxiety following implant surgery and to evaluate the correlation among anxiety, pain, and influencing factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-nine patients were included in this study. Subjective factors influencing pain perception included anxiety from the overall dental treatment (scored on the Dental Anxiety Scale [DAS]) and anxiety relative to the time from implant surgery. Objective factors were sex, age, and implant location and number. Patients completed questionnaires just before surgery (T0), immediately after surgery (T1), 1 day after surgery (T2), and 1 week after surgery (T3). RESULTS: The average pain perception was highest at T2, followed by T1 and T3. Pain perception at T1 was significantly higher in women and for a larger number of implant placements. Pain perception at T2 was significantly higher in women and when DAS and anxiety scores were high. The pain score at T3 was significantly higher in women and when anxiety scores were high. The results from multiple linear regression analysis showed that pain perception was significantly higher at T1 in women and for a larger number of implant placements, and at T3 when the dental anxiety score was high. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, a patient's anxiety represented by dental anxiety score and state of anxiety scores affected pain intensity 1 day after implant surgery. Sex and the number of implants affected pain intensity immediately after implant surgery. Patients who have high pain intensity 1 week after implant surgery showed high pain intensity at each time point.