Stress in Dental Patients Undergoing Routine Procedures

Abstract

A method was devised to record graphically the stress that patients experience during routine dental procedures. Heart rate was used as the indicator and the variations in it showed which parts of the treatment provoked the maximum stress reactions. This pilot study indicated that by using this method it is possible to study specific dental problems and methods for treating them.

Surgical and Nonsurgical Endodontic Treatment-induced Stress

“…These results confirm the declarations of 82 patients receiving nonsurgical endodontic therapy sessions who ranked local anesthetic injections, sensations of files introduced or worked into the root canals, and tapping or pushing on a sore tooth as rating among the most unpleasant aspects of root canal therapy (14). Most dental fear research ranks the needle and the drill as among the most unpleasant or anxiety-arousing stimuli (15)(16)(17)(18). The physiologic effects of anticipated anxiety have been previously described in high-anxiety patients for whom the thought of dental treatment was enough to trigger an increase in HR and muscular tension (19,20).…”

Control of Anxiety in Pediatric Patients using “Tell Show Do” Method and Audiovisual Distraction

“…Heart rate and blood pressure can be used as reliable indicators of measuring anxiety. 24 Anxiety was measured using following physiological parameters, viz. SBP, PR, and SpO 2 in the present study.…”

Effectiveness of Distraction Techniques in Managing Pediatric Dental Patients

“…The increases in the pulse rate during stressful procedures are in accordance with the studies done by Myers 16 and Messer. 17…”