-
Dental Update 2014Dental anxiety can be a hindrance to treatment. It is prevalent, so helping patients to overcome it should not be regarded as the province of a specialist. Hypnosis can...
UNLABELLED
Dental anxiety can be a hindrance to treatment. It is prevalent, so helping patients to overcome it should not be regarded as the province of a specialist. Hypnosis can be effective but is underused. A comparison of the conscious, alert state and hypnosis/nitrous oxide sedation is shown by electroencephalogram examples. The benefits and drawbacks of the use of hypnosis are discussed and suggestions of ways of learning and using hypnosis outlined.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
This paper is an overview of the common problem of dental anxiety and a pragmatic approach to overcoming it using hypnotherapy.
Topics: Alpha Rhythm; Dental Anxiety; Dentist-Patient Relations; Humans; Hypnosis, Dental; Imagery, Psychotherapy
PubMed: 24640482
DOI: 10.12968/denu.2014.41.1.78 -
Journal of Dental Hygiene : JDH Apr 2016Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can greatly inhibit a child's communication and social interaction skills, impacting their comfort during dental hygiene treatment and... (Review)
Review
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can greatly inhibit a child's communication and social interaction skills, impacting their comfort during dental hygiene treatment and services. Children with ASD may exhibit sensory sensitivities, fear of the unfamiliar and lack of socio-cognitive understanding, leading to anxiety and corresponding behavioral deficits. Since the prevalence rates for ASD have risen significantly in the past decade, increased emphasis has been placed on educational and behavior guidance techniques, which can be helpful for children with ASD because of their increased capabilities in visual-processing. The purpose of this literature review is to summarize the interventions available to reduce dental anxiety in children with ASD, and to determine which strategies are best suited for implementation by the dental hygienist. Advancements in technology and socio-behavioral interventions were assessed for appropriate use, efficacy and engagement in the target population. Interventions were categorized into the following groups: picture cards, video technologies and mobile applications.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Dental Anxiety; Dental Care for Children; Dental Care for Disabled; Dental Hygienists; Humans; Oral Hygiene
PubMed: 27105789
DOI: No ID Found -
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor... Jan 2017Extreme dental treatment anxiety, fainting or gagging in the dentist's chair can seriously hinder a patient's dental treatment. While a series of widely diverse studies... (Review)
Review
Extreme dental treatment anxiety, fainting or gagging in the dentist's chair can seriously hinder a patient's dental treatment. While a series of widely diverse studies on extreme dental treatment anxiety have been carried out, less is known about gagging and fainting. The most important questions in this dissertation research were whether dental treatment anxiety ('stimuli') can be identified and whether dental treatment anxiety and fainting or gagging are separate or overlapping phenomena. Fear of dental treatment can be divided into several subtypes: fear of invasive treatments, loss of control and aversive physical sensations. The current level of dental anxiety is closely related to various characteristics of memories underlying this fear. A combination of fainting in the dental setting and extreme fear of the dental treatment affects only a small part of the respondents (17.8%). The same applies to gagging and extreme fear of dental treatment (16.4%). Based on these findings, the conclusion can be drawn that severe forms of dental treatment anxiety, fainting or gagging in the dental setting are largely unrelated phenomena.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Dental Anxiety; Dental Care; Dentist-Patient Relations; Gagging; Humans; Syncope
PubMed: 28067923
DOI: 10.5177/ntvt.2017.01.16237 -
Community Dentistry and Oral... Oct 2023Dental fear and anxiety are known determinants of delaying or avoiding dental care and vary considerably based on factors such as age and gender. However, little is...
OBJECTIVES
Dental fear and anxiety are known determinants of delaying or avoiding dental care and vary considerably based on factors such as age and gender. However, little is known about dental fear and anxiety in racial/ethnic minority populations, which bear a disproportionate burden of poor oral health outcomes. Structural and social pathways responsible for producing these disparities are also understudied. Experiences of racism over the lifecourse may contribute to poor oral health outcomes through a pathway of dental fear and anxiety. This paper aimed to evaluate perceived experiences with racism, dental fear and anxiety, and the utilization of dental services, in the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS), a United States-based prospective cohort.
METHODS
Analysis of prospective data obtained from a geographic subset of participants in the BWHS was conducted. In 2014, BWHS participants residing in Massachusetts responded to a mailed oral health questionnaire that included the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+) instrument (N = 484; 69% response rate). Previously collected demographic and health information, along with reported experiences of everyday and lifetime racism, obtained from national BWHS questionnaires between 1995 and 2009, were merged with the Massachusetts-based sub-sample. Associations between high dental anxiety (HDA) (mean IDAF-4C+ score ≥2.5 on the dental fear and anxiety module) and oral health outcomes and perceived racism and HDA were explored via prevalence ratios (PR) calculated using log-binomial regression models, including adjustment for potential confounders.
RESULTS
Reported exposures to everyday racism occurred weekly on average for the top 25% of the sample, while 13% of participants reported exposure to multiple (n = 3) experiences of unfair treatment due to their race over their lifetime. HDA was prevalent among 17.8% of the sample and was significantly associated with indicators of poor oral health status. High exposures to everyday and lifetime experiences of racism were positively associated with HDA (PR = 1.08; 95% CI: 0.90, 1.58 and PR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.88, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Significant associations between racism and HDA, and between HDA and poor oral health and reduced utilization of dental care were observed. Dental anxiety may be a pathway through which perceived experiences with racism may impact oral health outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Female; United States; Racism; Dental Anxiety; Prospective Studies; Ethnicity; Fear; Minority Groups
PubMed: 35964228
DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.12782 -
Minerva Dental and Oral Science Feb 2024Dental anxiety is an excessive and irrational negative emotional state experienced by population; the dental anxiety is common throughout the lifespan and is an obstacle...
BACKGROUND
Dental anxiety is an excessive and irrational negative emotional state experienced by population; the dental anxiety is common throughout the lifespan and is an obstacle to improving oral health behaviors and outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in dental anxiety and to investigate if oral health impacts patients' Quality of Life and the perception of their body image.
METHODS
The sample consisted of 366 subjects selected in Italy and Spain (January 2021-September 2021). For this study, data were gathered using Google Forms (Google LLC, Mountain View, CA, USA). Data were collected including the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaires and Body Uneasiness Test.
RESULTS
Women showed higher scores than men for the dental anxiety. The regression analysis showed that gender, age, and Oral Health Impact are predictors of "dental anxiety." A borderline significance emerges for the independent variable body uneasiness.
CONCLUSIONS
The dental anxiety is widespread in the population, with a higher prevalence among women and increases with increasing age. It can negatively affect patients' Quality of Life, well-being, and self-esteem. These results underline the importance of addressing both individual and group strategies for preventing or treating dental anxiety.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Quality of Life; Dental Anxiety; Body Image; Sex Factors; Italy
PubMed: 37878239
DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6329.23.04820-9 -
European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry Sep 2022To synthesise knowledge on the relative efficacies of non-pharmacological strategies for managing dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in children and adolescents, specifically...
AIM
To synthesise knowledge on the relative efficacies of non-pharmacological strategies for managing dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in children and adolescents, specifically their effects on behaviour, anxiety levels and pain perception.
METHODS
An umbrella review on non-pharmacological strategies used to manage DFA in children and adolescents was conducted based the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Searches were performed in 5 main electronic databases and the grey-literature. Two independent reviewers selected and appraised the included studies using the AMSTAR2 tool. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer.
CONCLUSION
Audio-visual distraction was effective in reducing anxiety during a variety of dental procedures including those requiring local anaesthesia. A combination of techniques may be more effective in managing DFA in children and adolescents, possibly improving pain perception and cooperative behaviour.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Dental Anxiety; Humans
PubMed: 36172904
DOI: 10.23804/ejpd.2022.23.03.11 -
International Journal of Paediatric... Mar 2013Few prospective studies on the anxiety of children in the dental office have been published.
BACKGROUND
Few prospective studies on the anxiety of children in the dental office have been published.
AIMS
To monitor dental anxiety levels in children with and without previous experience with toothache over a period of six consecutive visits.
DESIGN
A longitudinal study was carried out involving 167 children treated at a public dental service. Levels of anxiety in the dental setting were assessed in children without toothache (G1) and those with toothache (G2) using the modified Venham picture test (VPT). Data acquisition was carried out over a 6-week period, with each child treated in the dental office once a week. Six assessments of anxiety were performed in the waiting room prior to dental treatment.
RESULTS
A significant reduction in anxiety scores occurred between appointments in both groups. In the inter-group comparison, G2 had significantly higher anxiety scores than G1. Although statistically significant reductions in anxiety scores occurred through to the fifth appointment, a tendency toward stagnation in anxiety scores was observed beginning with the fourth appointment.
CONCLUSIONS
Dental anxiety scores were reduced over the course of six appointments. Children with toothache had higher levels of dental anxiety than those that had never experienced toothache.
Topics: Area Under Curve; Child; Dental Anxiety; Dental Care for Children; Dental Restoration, Permanent; Educational Status; Female; Humans; Male; Mothers; Prospective Studies; Statistics, Nonparametric; Toothache
PubMed: 22436029
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-263X.2012.01234.x -
Acta Odontologica Scandinavica Jan 2013The aim of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of dental anxiety and its association with temperament, sociodemographic factors and previous painful and...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of dental anxiety and its association with temperament, sociodemographic factors and previous painful and unpleasant experiences of dental care among 15-year old individuals.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The sample included 263 randomly selected 15-year old individuals living in the municipality of Jönköping, Sweden. The school, parental and adolescent consent was acquired. Three self-reported questionnaires were used, one included items of sociodemography, while the others dealt with dental anxiety assessed by the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) and temperament assessed by an adapted version of The EAS Temperament Survey for Children modified for adults, the EASI temperament survey.
RESULTS
The results showed that 6.5% of the adolescents were classified as dentally anxious and with girls proportionally more fearful than boys. The three temperaments activity, impulsivity and emotionality were significantly correlated with dental anxiety. A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis showed that pain at the last dental appointment or previous pain experiences during dental care treatment were the strongest predictors regarding dental anxiety in 15-year olds. The temperament dimensions activity and impulsivity were also significantly predictive of dental anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS
Although some of the temperament dimensions are correlated with dental anxiety, which may emphasize an important finding with regard to personality, this study showed that previous pain experiences during dental care treatment is a strong predictor for high dental anxiety in 15-year olds.
Topics: Adolescent; Avoidance Learning; Chi-Square Distribution; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Anxiety; Female; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Manifest Anxiety Scale; Personality Disorders; Prevalence; Regression Analysis; Socioeconomic Factors; Statistics, Nonparametric; Sweden; Temperament
PubMed: 22214361
DOI: 10.3109/00016357.2011.645068 -
Pacific Health Dialog Mar 2004Despite the technological advances in dentistry, anxiety about dental treatment and the fear of pain associated with dentistry remains globally widespread and is...
Despite the technological advances in dentistry, anxiety about dental treatment and the fear of pain associated with dentistry remains globally widespread and is considered a major barrier to dental treatment. This can have detrimental consequences to people's oral health and pose a serious epidemiological challenge to oral health care professionals. Dental anxiety is well described in the Western world however there is little literature on the situation in the developing world. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the levels of dental anxiety in Fijians using Corah's DentalAnxiety Scale (DAS). 120 adults, aged 18-45 years were randomly selected from the capital city of Suva until there were 60 Indigenous and 60 IndoFijians, with 30 males and 30 females from each group responding to questions from Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale. The average DAS for all the participants was 8.8. The average DAS for IndoFijians was 9.8 and was significantly higher than for Indigenous Fijians ie 78. IndoFijians only reported less anxiety with increasing age as the Indigenous Fijians generally displayed low levels of anxiety. There was no significant difference in DAS between the genders. A considerable proportion of IndoFijians (28%) were anxious with 13% being highly anxious. Young IndoFijian adults are more likely to possess dental anxiety and should be managed appropriately which may include behavioural and/or pharmacological therapy. This may require referral to dental specialists or involve a multidisciplinary approach to the management of these people.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Asian People; Dental Anxiety; Female; Fiji; Humans; Male; Manifest Anxiety Scale; Middle Aged; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Psychometrics
PubMed: 18181437
DOI: No ID Found -
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor... Oct 2003Dental anxiety is a common problem. Different tests have been developed to measure the nature and the severity of dental anxiety or phobia. These tests can help to... (Review)
Review
Dental anxiety is a common problem. Different tests have been developed to measure the nature and the severity of dental anxiety or phobia. These tests can help to identify highly anxious patients who need special dental care. In this article, the dental anxiety tests useful in The Netherlands are reviewed.
Topics: Dental Anxiety; Dental Care; Humans; Netherlands; Severity of Illness Index
PubMed: 14606246
DOI: No ID Found