CBT is highly effective in Dental Phobia
Sep 2, 2011 - 11:37:56 PM
, Reviewed by: Dr. Himanshu Tyagi
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Dental phobia is a serious problem because it deters some people from ever going to the dentist, except when they are in severe pain
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Level of Evidence
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3b - Individual Case-Control Study
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Key Points of this article
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The initial benefit of CBT has endured over the ten-year period
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This results in a significant reduction in health risks to the patient from repeated IV sedation
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Main results
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Results Of the 19 successful CBT patients available to follow-up, 100% had not received IV sedation since the study ten years ago.
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Dental Fear
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Dental fear refers to the fear of dentistry and of receiving dental care. A severe form of this fear (specific phobia) is variously called dental phobia, odontophobia, dentophobia, dentist phobia, or dental anxiety.
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[RxPG] People with severe dental phobia may be able to overcome their anxieties with a single session of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), research published in the latest issue of the British Dental Journal (BDJ) suggests.
The authors of the study, based on an initial pilot of 60 patients who relied on having intravenous sedation before they could undergo dental treatment, concluded that the benefits were of such significance that they advise dental providers to implement this approach now rather than wait to pursue further research. They point out that patients benefit from not being exposed to the health risks associated with repeated intravenous sedation; and this approach saves money for the NHS.
The initial cohort of 60 patients had all attended a specialist dental clinic in Sheffield for people with severe dental phobia. Half the group were offered CBT, with 21 patients accepting the treatment. Twenty of these went on to have dental treatment without having to be sedated. An audit of these patients a decade later found that of the 19 patients located who had had CBT, none had returned to sedation in the intervening 10-year period.
The benefits of having CBT for severe dental phobia appear to endure over time, the authors of A joint approach to treating dental phobia: A re-evaluation of a collaboration between community dental services and specialist psychotherapy services ten years on, conclude.
The latest 10-yearly survey on adult dental health published earlier this year by the NHS Information Centre suggests that as many as 12 per cent of people may experience extreme dental anxiety.
Professor Damien Walmsley, the BDA’s scientific adviser, said:
“Dental phobia is a serious problem because it deters some people from ever going to the dentist, except when they are in severe pain. At this stage, they may require more invasive treatment than might be the case if they went to the dentist regularly. Sadly, this cycle of anxiety, non-attendance and pain is often repeated in the children of those with dental phobia, perpetuating the problem and feeding another generation of oral health problems.
“CBT is one of a range of techniques than can be used to make the experience comfortable for patients who feel especially anxious about having dental treatment, and the results of this study look promising for those who experience severe dental phobia.
“All dentists are highly-skilled, caring health professionals who are trained to put patients at ease. Many also undertake additional training in techniques, such as hypnosis, and acupuncture, and of course, CBT.”
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About Dr. Himanshu Tyagi
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This news story has been reviewed by Dr. Himanshu Tyagi before its publication on RxPG News website. Dr. Himanshu Tyagi, MBBS MRCPsych is the founder editor and manager for RxPG News. In this position he is responsible for content development and overall website and editorial management functions. His areas of special interest are psychological therapies and evidence based journalism. He can be reached for corrections and feedback at [email protected]
RxPG News is committed to promotion and implementation of Evidence Based Medical Journalism in all channels of mass media including internet.
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Additional information about the news article
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Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach: a talking therapy. CBT aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviours and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure in the present. The title is used in diverse ways to designate behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy, and to refer to therapy based upon a combination of basic behavioural and cognitive research.
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