Anxiety and Ability to Recognize Clinical Information in Dentistry

Background: Cognitive ability to process information is significantly affected by stress. Nevertheless, there is a constant need to process information under stress in both the medical and dental fields. Objectives: To evaluate the effect dental treatment on patients' ability to recognize and/or recall clinically relevant information. Materials and Methods: 66 patients were evaluated for their ability to recognize and/or recall clinical information supplied on two different occasions: immediately before oral surgery (high stress condition) and before suture removal (low stress condition). Information was supplied to patients by means of two different informative tapes, each approximately 5 min in length. Patients' ability to correctly recognize and/or recall information was cheched by means of recognition questionnaires, each consisting of 21 statements. Approximately half of the statements quoted correct information that was included in the tape, while others quoted false information not included in the tape. Dental and state anxiety and expectation of pain were also assessed. Results: On both occasions, the ability of patients to correctly recognize and/or recall information was low (less than 50%). Patients recognized significantly less information before surgery than before suture removal (t=3.4, p<.01). State anxiety, dental anxiety and expectation to experience pain had a profound effect on their ability to correctly recognize and/or recall provided information. Conclusions: Dental treatment is a stressful condition and under stress cognition may be influenced in specific ways which have not, as yet, been fully defined. One possible aspect of stress and anxiety in dental care is its impairing influence on the patient's ability to process clinically relevant information prior treatment.