Background The purpose was to analyse the associations between dental and trait anxiety, fear of COVID-19 and the duration and frequency of spontaneous hand-to-face contact (self-contact). Methods A cross-sectional design was carried out with 128 adult patients from four dental clinics in Madrid, during the confinement, from March 15 to May 15. The patients’ movements in the waiting room were monitored with Microsoft Kinect Software, also completed the Trait anxiety subscale of the STAI, the COVID-19 Fear and the S-DAI questionnaire. Results Associations were observed between the duration and frequency of facial, mask and eye contact with trait anxiety and dental fear was determined only by the frequency of this self-contact. Trait anxiety is associated with dental anxiety and with fear of COVID-19. Although facial self-contact is higher in women, it also rises in men as dental fear increases. Moreover, dental anxiety is a good predictor of trait anxiety and the incidence of facial self-contact. Conclusions Understanding the possible associations between biopsychosocial factors, such as trait anxiety, dental anxiety and self-contact is important. It may help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the population as well as enabling the formulation of effective interventions to improve oral health care through the implementation of dental care programmes.

Background: This study makes innovative contributions regarding the association of facial self-contact frequency and duration in dental clinic patients with psychosocial factors such as dental fear, fear of COVID-19 and trait anxiety, because such self-contact could have an impact on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.Results: Statistically significant associations were found between the number and duration of facial self-contacts with trait anxiety and dental fear. Women showed more frequent self-contact of the face in general and considering dental anxiety, we observe that the amount of self-contact for women remained. However, in men as dental fear increases, so do facial self-contacts. Trait anxiety is a mediating variable in the relationship between dental anxiety and the number of facial self-contacts.Conclusions: There is a positive association between the number of facial self-contacts and trait anxiety and dental anxiety. However, there is no association between self-contacts and fear of COVID-19. Women make a greater number of facial self-contacts, more trait anxiety and more dental anxiety. The relationship between dental anxiety and self-contacts was moderated by gender and the relationship between dental anxiety and self-contacts is mediated by trait anxiety.