The potential of heart rate variability for exploring dental anxiety in mandibular third molar surgery

An objective method to recognize patient psychology using heart rate variability (HRV) has recently been developed and is increasingly being used in medical practice. This study compared the potential of this new method with the use of conventional surveys measuring anxiety levels in patients undergoing impacted third molar (ITM) surgery. Patient anxiety was examined before treatment in 64 adults who required ITM surgery, using two methods: measurement of HRV and conventional questionnaire surveys (state section of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS)).

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