" Never trust your fears, they don't know your strength."
The Washington Post, reported in 2015, " Roughly 5-10% of population suffers from dental phobia, but as many as 40-75% of people experience fear and anxiety related to dentistry that contribute to avoiding the dentist altogether."
Modern dentistry has made much progress in providing patient friendly environment still, anxiety towards dental treatment has stayed relatively constant.
What is PHOBIA ??
It is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation for at least a period of 6 months.
DENTAL PHOBIA
It represents a severe type of dental anxiety and is characterized by marked and persistent anxiety in relation to either a clearly discernible situations or to the dental situation in general.
EMOTIONAL PATTERNS related to Dental Fear
- Fear of PAIN:-
Link between actual or anticipation of pain and dental fear is well established. Unfortunately discomfort and slight pain can still be a feature of dental treatment.
- Fear of LOSS OF CONTROL:-
Overtly offering the patients the opportunity to ask questions enhance their control over information, thus offering them decisional control.
- Fear of UNKNOWN:-
In anyone's eyes, a visit to the dentist maybe classified as a potentially threatening situation. It is important to provide accurate information about possible discomfort immediately before the event and not long before to avoid the fear of unknown and anticipated pain.
- Fear of INTRUSION:-
Mostly all the dental procedures are invasive. Intrusion involves impinging on the patient's personal space and some people find this thought very threatening.
PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENT of Dental Fear
Various fear and anxiety scales used are
1. Adults and Children:-
- Corah DS
- Kleinknecht's DFS
- Gatchel's 10 point- FS
- Venham Picture Test ( VPT )
- Venham's Anxiety Test (VAT)
- Facial Image Scale (FAS)
- Anxiety Thermometer
MANAGEMENT
- Patient is granted the reality of his complaints. By doing so, the patient's discomfort or pain is confirmed and he is made to feel that this is a real problem.
- Patient's anxiety or fear requires a thorough exploration.
- A positive statement of assurance at some stage is mandatory. It is important to reassure the patient that problem is understandable and an attempt to overcome it will be made.
- Search for effective psychological treatment of anxiety and phobia. Research is in an active period in two areas-
1. Behavioural:-
- Communication
- Distraction
- Guided Imagery
- Time Structuring
2. Pharmacological:-
- Conscious Sedation
- Oral Sedation
- General Anesthesia
- Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Excellent blog
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