Adult dental anxiety: recent assessment approaches and psychological management in a dental practice setting

Abstract

Dental anxiety of patients is a common feature of the everyday experience of dental practice. This article advocates the use of regular assessment of this psychological construct to assist in patient management. Various tools, such as the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), are available to monitor dental anxiety that are quick to complete and easy to interpret. Patient burden is low. A new mobile phone assessment system (DENTANX) is being developed for distribution. This application and other psychological interventions are being investigated to assist patients to receive dental care routinely. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article provides evidence and expert opinion on the worth of regular dental anxiety assessment in dental practice using structured tools, such as the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, and consideration of psychological intervention development.

Prevalence of dental anxiety in patients attending the dental service of two hospitals managed by the Ministry of Health of Peru

“…It is important to report data corresponding to extreme anxiety, not only because of the repercussions on the deterioration of oral health and general wellbeing, 8,14 but also, because it is very likely that these patients require special treatment and longer treatment times. 19,27 According to White et al, 6 and Wang et al, 14 most of these patients are demanding with respect to the information and care provided to them.…”

“…A score of 19 is considered as a cut-off point, an indicator of extreme dental anxiety that is equivalent to dental phobia. 6,19,20 The data obtained were processed using the statistical program Stata v. 14 (Stata Corp, Texas, USA). The descriptive statistical data of the quantitative variables were calculated, presenting the mean, standard deviation, and range in a uni-and bivariate analysis.…”

The variables associated with dental anxiety and their management in primary care dental clinics in Bahrain: a cross-sectional study

“…The psychometrics and content validity of DAS was further modified by adding an item on receiving dental injections. This was renamed as the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) [11,12]. The MDAS has been found to be reliable and valid in several samples from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Dubai, Brazil, and Turkey.…”

Validez y confiabilidad del cuestionario de ansiedad y miedo dental IDAF -4C+ en adultos mayores

“…En la práctica odontológica diaria, uno de los desafíos a los que se enfrenta el dentista, es la presencia de ansiedad dental (AD) en sus pacientes (1) . Esta condición es una respuesta emocional al estrés específico que involucra estímulos o experiencias asociadas al tratamiento dental (2) , abarcando componentes de tipo cognitivos, fisiológicos y motores (3) .…”

“…La AD es una barrera importante para el adecuado cuidado oral (1) , ya que los pacientes buscan retrasar o postergar las visitas al dentista o asistir sólo en el caso de urgencia dolorosa (4)(5)8,12) . Como consecuencia la adherencia a tratamiento se ve interferida.…”