Psychotherapy for dental anxiety

Breathing out dental fear: A feasibility crossover study on the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing in children sitting on the dentist's chair

BACKGROUND

Anxiety related to the dental context is a clinically significant challenge. In children, dental fear is often accompanied by disruptive and uncooperative behaviours that can render treatment difficult. Although techniques to reduce children's anxiety exist, many have not been formally evaluated.

DESIGN

Diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to reduce fear and anxiety, but few investigations have evaluated whether it can reduce dental anxiety in children. This crossover study tested the effectiveness and feasibility of diaphragmatic breathing in twenty children undergoing dental care.

RESULTS

Compared with the treatment as usual, such a simple technique had significant benefits on mood, self-reported pain and autonomic balance, thus reducing sympathetic activation.

CONCLUSION

Diaphragmatic breathing is a low-cost, easy-to-implement technique suitable for daily dental practice, and is a promising tool for reducing negative effect and physiological distress in children with dental anxiety that results in more cooperative behaviours and reduced visit time.

How does dental anxiety affect the oral health of adolescents? A regression analysis of the Child Dental Health Survey 2013

Introduction Dental phobia has been widely studied but there is limited research on the effect of dental phobia on oral health. This research is an analysis of the 2013 Child Dental Health Survey, to explore the impact of dental anxiety on factors relating to oral health in the adolescents.Aim To examine if dental anxiety predicts poor oral health in 12- and 15-year-olds.Design Regression analysis of data from 4,950 children aged 12 years and 15 years who participated in the Child Dental Health Survey 2013.Setting National epidemiological survey of UK schools.Materials and methods A series of logistic regressions was carried out to examine if dental anxiety, socio demographic factors and oral health-related behaviour could predict oral health status, the impact of the child's oral health on their own quality of life and the impact of their oral health on the family's quality of life. Additional outcomes examined were self-perceived dental health and general health.Results Dental anxiety was not a predictor of poor oral health but did predict a greater impact of the child's oral health on everyday life. Adolescents with dental anxiety had negative thoughts regarding their dental and general health.Conclusions Dental anxiety affects the everyday life and psychological wellbeing of adolescents.

Understanding children's dental anxiety and psychological approaches to its reduction

BACKGROUND

Dental anxiety is a common problem, which can affect people of all ages, but appears to develop mostly in childhood and adolescence. Childhood dental anxiety is not only distressing for the child and their family but is also associated with poor oral health outcomes and an increased reliance on costly specialist dental services.

AIM

This article will consider the prevalence, development, and implications of children's dental anxiety. It will also discuss the opportunities for and challenges of psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy aimed at the reduction of dental anxiety in children.

EMDR: implications of the use of reprocessing therapy in nursing practice

TOPIC

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

PURPOSE

To examine the available evidence base for EMDR treatment in psychiatric nursing practice.

SOURCES

Evidenced-based research findings, published case and anecdotal reports, and primary source documents on the development of the treatment method.

CONCLUSIONS

EMDR use remains controversial. Although it is safe, little is known regarding the mechanism of action of any therapeutic effect; more rigorous empirical establishment of efficacy is needed.