Wants to sort out dense confusion (5)
I believe the answer is:
needs
'wants' is the definition.
(needing is a kind of wanting)
'sort out dense confusion' is the wordplay.
'dense' can be anagrammed to 'NEEDS'.
Though, I'm unsure how this is indicated.
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for needs that I've seen before include "Calls for" , "Necessitates" , "Demands" , "Can't do without" , "shopping-list, say" .)