‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children

Abstract

Dental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid ‘message to dentist’ (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. Dentally anxious children, aged 9–16 years, were invited to complete the MTD proforma, before and following their course of treatment. They scored how worried they were and their anticipated pain levels on a scale of 1–10 (10 being the worst outcome). They also wrote down their coping plans and post-treatment reflections. One hundred and five children, from a UK general dental practice and a hospital clinic, were included. They had a mean age of 11.6 years, and 65% were female. There was a significant reduction in self-report worry (from 4.9 to 2.1) and anticipated pain (from 5.1 to 2.0) scores (p < 0.05, paired t-test). Many children (30%) used listening to music/audiobook as a coping strategy. Thematic analysis revealed concerns around pain, uncertainty, errors and specific procedures. The MTD proforma proved an effective means of facilitating communication between anxious children and the dental team, allowing them to identify their worries and make personalised coping plans.

Estratégias para melhorar a comunicação entre o Dentista e o paciente adolescente: revisão integrativa da literatura

“…Assim, 14 estudos tiveram os artigos lidos na íntegra, sendo seis selecionados para comporem a revisão de literatura (Figura 1). (Rodd et al, 2019)…”

“…Além disso, eles queriam se sentir no controle, podendo pedindo ao dentista para interromper o tratamento quando necessário. Dessa forma, o MTD se mostrou um meio eficaz de facilitar a comunicação entre jovens ansiosos e a equipe odontológica, permitindo-lhes identificar as preocupações deles e elaborar planos de enfrentamento personalizados (Rodd et al, 2019).…”

“…Uma forte relação dentista-paciente é importante porque influencia não só a ansiedade odontológica, como também os resultados de cuidados com a saúde, satisfação, confiança e adesão ao tratamento (Asan, Ye, Acharya, 2013;Kraft-Todd et al, 2017). Os cirurgiões-dentistas que têm boa interação com os pacientes foram vistos como mais competentes, e as habilidades de comunicação e informação foram classificadas como sendo os traços mais importantes desse profissional (Rodd et al, 2019;Bottan et al, 2009). Dessa forma, um modelo de comunicação centrado no paciente é recomendado, pois esse tipo de comunicação tem o foco nas necessidades, valores e desejos do paciente (Al Moebeeriekai, 2012;Okullo, Astrøm & Haugejorden, 2004).…”

Children’s Perceptions of Pain in Conjunction With Tooth Extraction – A Grounded Theory Study

“…In a study by Rodd et al (27), children also stated that they hoped that the dental team would listen to them and tell them what was happening. Within the theme of good communication, children wanted to feel in control, by asking the dentist to cease treatment when necessary (27).…”

Exploring key elements of approaches that support childrens' preferences during painful and stressful medical procedures: A scoping review

“…The 13 articles included six unique approaches. Four approaches were evaluated in one article each (Ballard et al, 2017;Marsac et al, 2012;Nabors et al, 2019;Rodd et al, 2019;). One approach was evaluated in three articles (L. Jones, 2015; L. M. Jones & Huggins, 2013;Yee et al, 2017).…”