dental fear and anxiety

Question 1

normal emotional reaction to 1 or more specific threatening stimuli in the dental environment is known as?

Answer 1

dental fear

Question 2

sense of apprehension that something dreadful is going to happen in relation to dental treatment, coupled with sense of losing control is known as?

Answer 2

dental anxiety

Question 3

severe type of dental anxiety manifested as a marked and persistent anxiety in relation to clearly discernible situations or objects or to the dental situation in general is known as?

Answer 3

dental phobia

Question 4

name the top 5 stressors in dentistry?

Answer 4

running behind schedule
causing pain
heavy workload
late patients
anxious patients

Question 5

describe the cycle of dental fear and anxiety?

Answer 5

fear/ anxiety > leading to avoidance of the dentist > deterioration of dental status > shame and inferiority > fear/anxiety

Question 6

why might individuals be fearful of the dentist?

Answer 6

negative experiences in the past
influenced by family/peers
media representation of dentistry
expectation of pain and discomfort
poor knowledge of modern analgesia
some people more vulnerable than others

Question 7

name the 3 pathways that lead to children becoming dentally anxious?

Answer 7

conditioning
modelling
information

Question 8

describe the conditioning pathway to child dental anxiety?

Answer 8

arises from objective dental pathology and subjective experience. the dentists personal sensitivity to childrens fears is crucial

Question 9

describe the modelling pathway to child dental anxiety?

Answer 9

childrens imitations of mothers behaviour

Question 10

describe the information pathway to child dental anxiety?

Answer 10

possibly through unwilling provision of frightening information but more likely through absorbing mothers attitude

Question 11

give some characteristics of anxious patients?

Answer 11

high neuroticism
pessimism and negative expectations
proneness to somatisation
low pain threshold
co-morbid anxiety disorders
co-morbid depressive disorders

Question 12

what is used to asses dental anxiety in adults?

Answer 12

DAS (dental anxiety scale)

Question 13

a score of greater than what indicates a dental phobic?

Answer 13

> 19/25

Question 14

name some treatment strategies used in moderately anxious patients?

Answer 14

explain fish to flight system
give control
acknowledge their feelings of anxiety
coping strategies - relaxation/distraction

Question 15

what control may you give to dentally anxious patients?

Answer 15

stop signal (left hand up to stop)
rest signal
proceed signal (open mouth to proceed)
provide options (which tooth will we restore first)

Question 16

how may you use relation/distraction techniques on anxious patients?

Answer 16

think of relaxing thoughts - imagine somewhere where u can relax
do puzzles in head (count back from 100 in 2s)
think of 5 things that make them happy