dental anxiety

Listen to Music Before Dental Cleaning to Reduce Anxiety

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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

Acupuncture for dental anxiety

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An interesting article titled “Acupuncture for anxiety in dental patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis,” by Allan et al. appears in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine (vol. 20, pp. 22-35, 2018). The article sets to look at previous trials done to explore acupuncture and it’s potential effect on dental anxiety. Some dental patients experience anxiety which is estimated to be between 4% and 30% of the population in the world. Reasons for dental anxiety include fear of pain, fear of needles, fear of anesthesia, and the fear of losing control. In the past several articles on this site have explored dental anxiety including: 1.) How To Manage Dental Anxiety in Elderly Patients, 2.) Can Providing Audiovisual Information Help Relieve Anxiety in Patients Having Wisdom Teeth Removed?, 3.) Anxiety in Dental Patients Before and After Tooth Extraction, 4.) Dental Phobia – Therapy Treatments … Read more

Changes in Dental Anxiety over Time

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An interesting article titled “Changes in dental anxiety among 15‐ to 21‐year‐olds. A 2‐year longitudinal analysis based on the Tromsø study: Fit futures” written by Nermo et al. appears in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (vol. 47, 2019, pp. 127-133). The article sought to explore the continuation of high dental anxiety over 2 years. In the article the authors explored data from The Tromsø Study conducted in Norway. The authors explored data from participants who were under the age of 18 at baseline data collection and also had data collected two years later. This lead to 685 participants with 377 females and 308 males. Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale was used to measure dental anxiety on a score from 4 to 20 with higher scores indicating more anxiety. Those scores that were 13 and higher were determined to be in dentally … 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 Manage Dental Anxiety in Elderly Patients

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It is not uncommon for someone to have a fear related to seeing a dentist. However, left unchecked those phobias can develop to the point where a dental office is a place to avoid at all costs. When the fear involves an elderly patient, it can have a strong impact on their oral health. By not seeing a dentist, regular check-ups are missed which could have otherwise identified a potential dental problem early enough to begin preventative care. This is why it is important to discuss these fears with your dentist or the front office staff at your dental office. Understanding The Source of Anxiety If you are afraid to visit your dentist, rest assured that you are not the first person to experience this. Even if you cannot pinpoint precisely where the fear started, the dental office you visit … Read more