dental fear

Dental Anxiety for Post Traumatic Stress Survivors

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An interesting article titled “Dental anxiety in relation to torture experiences and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder,” written by Høyvik et al. appears in the European Journal of Oral Sciences (vol. 127, pp. 65-71, 2019). The article sought to explore dental anxiety amongst those who have suffered torture experiences and have experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The article describes how in recent years Europe has received an increase in refugees and asylum seekers from countries experiencing war. As a group these refugees and asylum seekers have a high amount of mental health issues which could be due to experiencing stressful events in their life such as torture. The authors state: “Several aspects of the dental visit resemble the torture situation. The patients may feel tied to the dental chair and are literally underneath health personnel in white coats … Read more

Blood tests to detect dental fear

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An interesting article titled “The impact of dental treatment and age on salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels of patients with varying degrees of dental anxiety” written by AlMaummar, AlThabit and Pani appears in BMC Oral Health in 2019 (19:211). The article discusses the use of blood tests to attempt to determine which children might be more susceptible to dental fear. Dental fear has been discussed before on this site such as in the post Dental Anxiety and Fear: Impact on Oral Health. The study included 151 children who were treated at the dental clinics of King Abdulaziz Medical City and Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy in Riyadh. Each of the children had behavior screening done using a Frankl behavior rating scale and a Children’s Fear Survey Schedule children’s subscale to assess dental fear. Based on answers to the behavior … Read more

Delivering Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment in Dental Practices

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An interesting article titled “Dentist-Perceived Barriers and Attractors to Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Provided by Mental Health Providers in Dental Practices,” written by Heyman et al. appears in Advances in Dental Research (vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 35-41, February 2018). The article discusses how over 20% of dental patients report having dental fear and how over 20 randomized controlled trials have show that Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CBT) can help. Even though such CBT treatment has been shown to help it has not been widely used beyond dental fear specialty clinics according to the authors. The authors feel that the treatment is recognized but the way to disseminate it throughout the US health care system is needed. The authors explore enhancing the dental home via an approach known as evidence-based collaborative care where specialized mental health providers work within the dental home to provide … Read more

Dental Anxiety and Fear: Impact on Oral Health

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An interesting article titled “From public mental health to community oral health: the impact of dental anxiety and fear on dental status,” by Crego et al. appears in frontiers in Public Health (vol. 2, art. no. 16, Feb. 2014). The article discusses a multidisciplinary approach to address dental fear and oral health. The article discusses how mental disorders can act as a barrier to seeking needed treatment and thus can adversely impact oral health. Further, physical problems and ailments can negatively impact mental health. This has been described as a vicious cycle which is found in dentistry. As one sees the dentist less their oral health worsens and this reinforces dental anxiety. These worse oral health problems typically require more intensive and expensive treatments. This results in some patients only seeing the dentist when treatment can not be avoided. In … Read more

How to Cope with Dental Fear

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An interesting article titled “Coping skills for facing dental fears” appears in the February 2017, issue of JADA, vol. 148, issue 2. The article discusses some things you can do if you are afraid of the dentist to help you get through the entire appointment. The first thing the article suggests is to speak up and let the office and dentist know you have dental fear. You can address any coping skills you have used in the past and the dental team may suggest new coping skills that can be tried. You ask the dentist to talk you through what is going to be done for your treatment prior to him or her doing it to help further put your mind at ease. If you need to take a break during treatment you can agree on a signal to use … Read more