People often get anxious about going to the dentist, and sometimes this anxiety becomes a phobia especially if it has a marked impact on someone. People with fear of the dentist normally avoid visiting the dentist and as a result experiences more dental pain, poorer oral health which later on will have a very huge effect on their quality of life.
Adult Dental Health surveyed in the UK and it suggested that around one in ten people suffers from the fear of seeing the dentist. That's where cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) comes in. According to a recent study by King's College London, CBT can greatly help people with dental phobia surpass this fear which will help then get the proper dental treatment they need without being sedated.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a temporary therapy; it normally covers 6-10 sessions. It has proven to help with various psychological problems, most notably for depression and any anxiety-related disorders. It has shown that both the cognitive and behavioral approach are successful in decreasing the level of anxiety related to visiting the dentist therefore increasing dental attendance.
The latest study which was published in the British Dental Journal focused at the characteristics of 130 patients who attend a psychologist-led CBT service and the results of their treatment. The participants consist of 99 women and 31 men who attends the clinic run by the King's College London Dental Institute Health Psychology Service at Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation. The patients were surveyed for their levels of their somewhat overall condition, which included: dental anxiety, general anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, alcohol use, and oral health-related quality of life.
The result showed three fourths of them scored 19 or higher on the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), which indicated dental phobia. The remaining participants all scored high on one or more items of the MDAS indicating a particular fear of another aspect in the field of dentistry. Fear of dental injections and the dental drill were the most common items with the highest scores in MDAS. Approximately 94% of the total number of participants reported a knock-on effect from problems with their teeth, mouth or gums on their living and quality of life.
