Rational thinking as a mediator of the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety

Abstract

Dental anxiety causes people to postpone or refuse to go to the dentist, which further negatively impacts their quality of life and public health. Previous research has shown that mindfulness is inversely related to anxiety. However, little is known about the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety. The current research aimed to explore the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety and investigate the mediating role of rational thinking. Two studies were conducted. In study one, 206 Chinese participants completed questionnaires measuring trait mindfulness and dental anxiety (state, responding to a dental treatment scenario). In study two, 394 participants completed questionnaires measuring trait mindfulness, dental anxiety (trait), and rational thinking. The results for both studies showed that mindfulness is negatively correlated with dental anxiety. In study 1, each facet of mindfulness except Non-judging was negatively correlated with dental anxiety with Acting with Awareness having the strongest correlation, while in study 2, only Acting with Awareness was significantly negatively correlated with dental anxiety. Furthermore, rational thinking mediated the effect of mindfulness on dental anxiety. In conclusion, mindfulness is negatively related to both state and trait dental anxiety, and rational thinking mediates the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The effect of mindfulness meditation on dental anxiety during implant surgery: a randomized controlled clinical trial

“…Growing evidence has indicated that mindfulness practice induces both state and trait changes; that is, it temporarily changes the condition of the brain and the corresponding pattern of activity or connectivity 53 . Yao et al 44 used the STAI and suggested that mindfulness training may potentially help alleviate patients’ dental anxiety. Similarly, we evaluated psychological outcomes using the STAI-S. MM was found to be effective in significantly reducing the STAI-S when compared to the control group before and after surgery, suggesting that MM can provide both immediate and lasting effects on anxiety during dental surgery.…”

“…Successful relationships require physicians to practice a welcoming stance, participatory decision-making, and mindfulness about both the patient's and the dentist's inner lives 64 . It was also reported that dental clinics are encouraged to incorporate mindfulness interventions into their routine daily practice 44 . The results of this study also highlighted that mindfulness is not only associated with a reduction of general anxiety, but also with dental anxiety specifically.…”

“…Mindfulness-based techniques have been suggested to be useful for managing dental anxiety including implant surgery 44 , 45 . However, previous studies on the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety only included trait measures of dental anxiety and the results have been inconsistent and limited to specific samples and have not investigated possible mechanisms that may be involved in the relationship between mindfulness and dental anxiety 44 , 46 , 47 .…”