From Public Mental Health to Community Oral Health: The Impact of Dental Anxiety and Fear on Dental Status

Abstract

Dental fear is a widely experienced problem. Through a “vicious cycle dynamic,” fear of dental treatment, lower use of dental services, and oral health diseases reinforce each other. Research on the antecedents of dental anxiety could help to break this cycle, providing useful knowledge to design effective community programs aimed at preventing dental fear and its oral health-related consequences. In this regard, frameworks that analyze the interplay between cognitive and psychosocial determinants of fear, such as the Cognitive Vulnerability Model, are promising. The onset of dental fear often occurs in childhood, so focusing on the child population could greatly contribute to understanding dental fear mechanisms and prevent this problem extending into adulthood. Not only can public mental health contribute to population health, but also community dentistry programs can help to prevent dental fear. Regular dental visits seem to act in a prophylactic way, with dental professionals playing an important role in the regulation of the patients’ anxiety-related responses. Both public mental health and community dentistry could therefore benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to dental fear and oral health.

Reciprocal longitudinal relationship between dental fear and oral health in schoolchildren

“…Previous research has shown that dental anxiety is not only a mental health issue but a public health concern . Fear of dental treatment leads to irregular or delayed dental visits, increasing the risk of caries .…”

“…Previous research has shown that dental anxiety is not only a mental health issue but a public health concern . Fear of dental treatment leads to irregular or delayed dental visits, increasing the risk of caries . Although several investigations have evaluated oral health causal factors, the majority have focused on diet, the oral microflora and preventive dental measures …”

Does audiovisual distraction reduce dental anxiety in children under local anesthesia? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Childhood dental anxiety occurs in different countries and among different ethnicities, with a 6%–20% incidence (Klingberg & Broberg, ). This issue results in significant deterioration of oral health and leads to a vicious cycle (Crego, Carrillo‐Díaz, Armfield, & Romero, ) of cumulative anxiety and increased avoidance (Lin, ). The parents of children with the most severe dental anxiety may defer, cancel, or miss their child’s dental appointments (Mark, ).…”

Initial validation of a virtual blood draw exposure paradigm for fear of blood and needles

“…In this context, fear of blood and needles represents an important individual and public health concern as it is a documented deterrent to procedures such as routine blood work [22,38], insulin injections and finger sticks for diabetes management [13,39], dental care [7,25], vaccinations [21,32,38], and blood donation [38]. A severe form of this fear -termed blood-injection-injury phobia -is characterized by an intense fear of blood, injections, medical care, and injury; such fear is recognized as excessive and unreasonable by the individual [1].…”