Can you read my pokerface? A study on sex differences in dentophobia

Abstract

Men and women with dentophobia differ in specific fear contents and underlying brain activity during symptom provocation. Possible sex differences concerning other basic emotions, such as disgust, have undergone minimal investigation. Therefore, we recorded the facial electromyogram from the musculus levator labii (as a specific disgust indicator) and the heart rate of 36 individuals with dentophobia (18 women and 18 men with comparable disorder severity) and of 36 non-phobic controls (18 women and 18 men). The participants were asked to look at pictures showing dental treatment scenes, generally fear- and disgust-inducing, as well as pictures with neutral contents. Subsequently they performed an affective picture rating. Independently of sex, phobic subjects relative to controls showed heart-rate acceleration when watching pictures of dental treatment scenes, reflecting a fear reaction. Male and female phobic subjects did not differ in their verbal reports of fear and disgust experienced. However, phobic women showed enhanced disgust-related facial electromyographic activity to dental treatment scenes relative to men. This sex-specific response pattern points to the greater relevance of disgust for the female symptomatology of dentophobia, or it might also be possible that male patients more successfully inhibit disgust reactions during confrontation.

Psychological Functioning of Patients Undergoing Oral Surgery Procedures during the Regime Related with SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

“…Three main mechanisms of dental anxiety are hypothesized. One of them is based on patients’ own experiences (mostly traumatic experiences from the past) and the other two result from external factors, such as negative-biased information and observations of negative behavior during dental treatment [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In time, it may transpire that we will also have to deal with another mechanism linked to the difficulty in finding a dental office which provides surgical services during pandemic lockdown and in accordance with the pandemic-related regime.…”

“…There are some studies on the psychological influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients in different medical sectors [ 11 , 12 , 13 ] yet, there are no studies on patients undergoing oral surgery procedures in outpatient dental surgeries [ 5 ]. Assessing the severity of anxiety in this group of patients may contribute to the optimization of the treatment process [ 12 ].…”

Müzik Terapinin Dental Cerrahi Öncesi Dental Anksiyete ve Vital Bulgular Üzerine Etkisi

“…As a result, the importance of alternative therapies with sedative effect has increased. Non-pharmacological interventions include virtual reality, audiovisual distraction, musical distraction, strengthening, show -tell and so on (5,6).…”

Why do dental patients complain?

“…1 Results from the study showed that the regenerated glands, which had been developed in glanddefective mice via orthotropic transplanted organ germs, were fully functional; formed correct tissue structures able to secrete saliva in response to neural stimulation; bore a cleansing function, inhibiting bacterial growth and preventing dryness; and restored normal swallowing function.…”

“…A study on sex differences in dentophobia, 1 researchers discovered that female patients scared of the dentist were Xerostomia can induce various oral health problems, such as bacterial infection, caries, swallowing dysfunction and dysgeusia. Traditional treatments such as saliva substitutes help to reduce the symptoms of dry mouth but cannot restore salivary gland function altogether.…”