Nivel de ansiedad de acuerdo a la escala de corah modificada en los pacientes que asisten a la consulta odontológica en la Universidad Católica de Cuenca sede Azogues periodo 2024-2024.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the anxiety level in adult patients attending dental consultations at the Catholic University of Cuenca, Azogues campus, from March to August 2024, using the Modified Corah Scale. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a quantitative research study with a descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional design. The study was prospective and conducted from March to August 2024. The sample consisted of 200 patients who visited the dental specialty clinics at the Catholic University of Cuenca, Azogues campus, selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Modified Corah Scale. RESULTS: The results showed that 33% of the patients had moderate anxiety (66 patients), 31.5% had high anxiety or phobia (63 patients), 20.5% had severe anxiety or phobia (41 patients), and only 15% reported mild or no anxiety (30 patients). Women showed slightly higher anxiety levels than men, especially when anesthesia and high-speed dental handpieces were used. CONCLUSION: Moderate anxiety was the most frequent among the dental patients evaluated, revealing that over 50% experience significant discomfort when attending consultations. These results highlight the need to implement emotional management strategies in the clinical setting to optimize patient experience and treatment outcomes.

KEYWORDS: dental anxiety, dental care, modified Corah scale