dental anxiety

What is the norcebo effect and does it matter for dentistry?

by

An interesting article titled “What is the nocebo effect and does it apply to dentistry? A narrative review” written by T. Watanabe and et al. appears in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation (2022). The article discusses the concept of a nocebo which is different than a placebo. A nocebo is where negative expectations lead to the effect of either clinical worsening, suboptimal treatment efficacy, or the occurrence of adverse events. A placebo on the other hand is where postive expectations leads to an effect that causes an improvement in symptoms. In the article the authors sought to explore the norcebo effect in dentistry which they say to date has been given very little attention which only a limited number of articles discussing it. The norcebo effect is real and has been demonstrated in numerous experimental and clinical settings, which hows … Read more

Dental Anxiety for Post Traumatic Stress Survivors

by

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

Do Wisdom Teeth Surgery Informational Videos Decrease Anxiety?

by

An interesting article titled “Does Viewing a Third Molar Informed Consent Video Decrease Patients’ Anxiety?” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2018 written by Laskin et al. (vol. 76, pp. 2515-2517). The article discusses a study of 100 patients having impacted wisdom teeth removed and if watching a video during the informed consent process makes them more or less anxious. The authors were interested in such a study because in the past watching a video during the informed consent process of wisdom teeth removal has decreased anxiety in some cases but in other cases has increased anxiety. Further, if patients are more anxious prior to surgery they can be uncooperative which can cause the surgeon stress and lead to longer surgeries. In the study, 100 patients between 18 and 35 years of age having impacted wisdom … Read more

Listening to Music During Wisdom Teeth Removal

by

An interesting article titled “The Effects of Music Listening During Extraction of the Impacted Mandibular Third Molar on the Autonomic Nervous System and Psychological State” appears in the 2019 edition of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Yamashita et al. In the article the authors explored the effects of listening to music during wisdom teeth removal to see if there was any suppression in sympathetic nervous activity and decrease in anxiety. In the article the authors discuss how tooth extractions can be stressful for patients and in particular extractions of lower wisdom teeth. The authors devised a study with forty women ages 20 to 40 years old who had a lower wisdom tooth extracted between March 2018 and September 2018 at the Kagoshima University Hospital in Japan all by the same surgeon. The forty women were randomly … Read more

Listen to Music Before Dental Cleaning to Reduce Anxiety

by

An interesting article titled “Effects of Music Listening on Pre-treatment Anxiety and Stress Levels in a Dental Hygiene Recall Population” written by Thoma et al. appears in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 498-505). The article discusses how waiting for a medical procedure can provoke anxiety in patients and lead to stress. In the article the authors perform a study to explore if patients waiting for a dental cleaning can have their anxiety reduced by listening to music. The authors were motivated to perform their study because previous studies have shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety and stress. Other studies in hospital patients has also shown that listening to music prior to surgery reduces anxiety and can do so just as effectively if not better than pharmacological options like benzodiazepines. Furthermore, these prior … Read more