Survey study, 2025
Does dental anxiety change depending on where women are in their cycle?
Yes. Women in their menstrual and secretory phases reported higher dental anxiety than men. Physical measures of anxiety, like blood pressure, showed no differences.
What they did
Researchers studied 259 people aged 18-50 who needed root canal treatment. Women reported which phase of their menstrual cycle they were in. Researchers measured dental anxiety using questionnaires and checked blood pressure and oxygen levels.
What they found
Women in the menstrual and secretory phases reported significantly higher dental anxiety scores than men. There was a strong link between different anxiety questionnaires. However, there were no significant differences in blood pressure or oxygen levels between groups or cycle phases.
What it means for you
Women may experience more dental anxiety at certain times of their cycle, possibly due to lower estrogen levels. Dentists could provide extra support during these times. The main limits are this was only measured once per person and only looked at people needing root canal treatment.
259
people studied
191
were women
About the study
- Original title
- Preoperative dental anxiety across menstrual cycle phases in women undergoing root canal treatment
- Authors
- Çoban Öksüzer M, Hatipoğlu Ö, Şanal Çıkman A et al.
- Journal
- Scientific reports
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 259
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-19374-z
Topics
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