Table 3.
Variables assessed in the study
| Variables | Description of variables | Number of patients(n) total sample = 480 | Pre-treatment MDAS | Post treatment MDAS | Mean difference | P value** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | 95% CI | Mean (SD) | 95% CI | |||||
| Gender | Female | 301 | 10.71 (4.4) | 10.2–11.2 | 8.90 (3.96) | 8.45–9.35 | 1.81 | 0.0001* |
| Male | 179 | 8.96 (4.31) | 8.3–9.6 | 7.60 (3.63) | 7.1–8.1 | 1.36 | 0.0014* | |
| Age | 12–30 years | 239 | 10.17 (4.32) | 9.6–10.7 | 8.51 (3.8) | 8.03–8.99 | 1.66 | 0.001* |
| 31–50 years | 179 | 10.26 (4.7) | 9.6–10.9 | 8.54 (4.24) | 7.9–9.16 | 1.72 | 0.0003* | |
| 51 and above | 62 | 9.70 (5.11) | 8.4–11 | 8.25 (4.36) | 7.2–9.3 | 1.45 | 0.091 | |
| Education level | Educated (any level) | 464 | 10.10 (4.46) | 9.7–10.5 | 8.42 (3.19) | 8.1–8.7 | 1.68 | 0.001* |
| Uneducated | 16 | 8.82 (3.73) | 7–10.7 | 8.12 (3.39) | 6.5–9.8 | 0.70 | 0.582 | |
| Dental visit | First | 21 | 13.23 (7.24) | 10.1–16.3 | 10.24 (6.03) | 7.7–12.8 | 2.99 | 0.153 |
| Visited dentist previously | 459 | 9.91 (4.23) | 9.5–10.3 | 8.33 (3.75) | 8–8.7 | 1.58 | 0.0001* | |
| Gathering information prior to dentist visit | yes | 207 | 10.69 (4.88) | 10–11.4 | 10.03 (4.26) | 9.5–10.6 | 0.66 | 0.143 |
| No | 273 | 9.73 (4.03) | 9.3–10.2 | 7.95 (3.52) | 7.5–8.4 | 1.78 | 0.001* | |
| Chief complaint | Pain | 386 | 10.20 (4.57) | 9.7–10.7 | 8.5 (4.04) | 8.1–8.9 | 1.70 | 0.001* |
| To Clean teeth | 96 | 8.92 (3.39) | 8.2–9.6 | 7.44 (2.85) | 6.9–8 | 1.48 | 0.0013* | |
| Discolored or misaligned teeth | 65 | 10 (3.13) | 9.2–10.8 | 8.62 (3.07) | 7.9–9.4 | 1.38 | 0.124* | |
| Missing teeth | 121 | 10.87 (4.26) | 10.1–11.6 | 8.25 (4.4) | 7.5–9.03 | 2.62 | 0.022* | |
| Regular check-up | 64 | 10.65 (3.76) | 9.7–11.6 | 8.45 (3.19) | 7.7–9.2 | 2.20 | 0.005* | |
| Dental procedure undertaken | Endodontic access | 386 | 10.20 (4.57) | 9.7–10.7 | 8.5 (4.04) | 8.1–8.9 | 1.70 | 0.001* |
| Scaling and polishing | 96 | 8.92 (3.39) | 8.2–9.6 | 7.44 (2.85) | 6.9–8 | 1.48 | 0.0013* | |
| Restorations | 72 | 8.25 (3.12) | 7.5–9 | 8.23 (4.05) | 7.3–9.2 | 0.02 | 0.973 | |
| Extractions | 17 | 10.63 (4.57) | 8.5–12.8 | 7.23 (4.87) | 4.9–9.6 | 3.40 | 0.043* | |
| Previous dental experience with rating | Extremely unpleasant with pain (5) | 36 | 12.65 (4.82) | 11.1–14.2 | 9.97 (4.55) | 8.5–11.5 | 2.68 | 0.017* |
| Not satisfying and anxious (4) | 80 | 11.97 (3.62) | 11.2–12.8 | 9.39 (3.14) | 8.7–10.1 | 2.58 | 0.001* | |
| Fearful and unhappy (3) | 32 | 12.59 (5.39) | 10.7–14.5 | 10 (5.32) | 8.2–11.8 | 2.59 | 0.049* | |
| Unpleasant but very slight discomfort (2) | 47 | 11.44 (4.66) | 10.1–12.8 | 9.55 (4.72) | 8.2–10.9 | 1.89 | 0.043* | |
| Comfortable (1) | 218 | 8.83 (3.83) | 8.3–9.3 | 7.57 (3.31) | 7.1–8 | 1.26 | 0.678 | |
| Interesting/joyful(0) | 46 | 7.72 (3.45) | 6.7–8.7 | 7.22 (3.08) | 6.3–8.11 | 0.50 | 0.350 | |
SD, standard deviation; SEM, standard error of mean; CI, confidence intervals
*P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant
**Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for non-parametric data. For parametric data, paired t test was used