Patients’ multifaceted views of dental fear in a diagnostic interview

Abstract

Objectives: The aim was to examine how patients describe and perceive their dental fear (DF) in diagnostic interviews. Material and Methods: The sample consisted of dentally anxious patients according to the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), who had problems coping with conventional dental treatment. The voluntary participants (n ¼ 7, aged 31-62 years) attended a diagnostic interview aiming to map their DF before dental treatment. The data were analysed by theory-driven qualitative content analysis. The themes consisted of the four components of DF: emotional, behavioural, cognitional, and physiological, derived from the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear. Results: Within these four themes, treated as the main categories, 27 additional categories related to the patients' interpretations of DF were identified in three contexts: before, during and after dental treatment. 10 categories depicted difficult, uncontrollable, or ambivalent emotions; nine depicted behavioural patterns, strategies, or means; five depicted disturbing, strong, or long-lasting physiological reactions, including panic and anxiety symptoms. The remaining three categories related to cognitive components. Conclusions:The results indicate that dental care professionals may gain comprehensive information about their patients' DF by means of four component-based diagnostic interviews. This helps them to better identify and encounter patients in need of fear-sensitive dental care.

The Relationship between Dental Fear and Anxiety, General Anxiety/Fear, Sensory Over-Responsivity, and Oral Health Behaviors and Outcomes: A Conceptual Model

“…The relationship between DFA and dental attendance was examined in 57 articles ( n = 15 pediatric, n = 42 adult). The avoidance of or infrequent dental visits were linked with higher levels of DFA in children and adolescents [ 3 , 7 , 45 , 50 , 110 , 121 , 148 , 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 , 159 ] as well as adults [ 4 , 8 , 21 , 39 , 40 , 54 , 57 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 65 , 66 , 101 , 102 , 125 , 126 , 129 , 131 , 133 , 135 , 136 , 138 , 140 , 142 , 160 , 161 , 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 , 168 , 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 ]. Sporadic dental attendance as a child, compared to regular attendance, was associated with incre...…”

Self‐reported factors for improving patient's dental care: A pilot study

“…The analyses revealed that suggestions for improving dental care were The study population was large enough for qualitative analysis, to achieve full saturation and to have individual authentic multiple citations in all subcategories, which increased the reliability (Kyngäs et al, 2000). It was also large in comparison with recent qualitative studies in a dental care setting (Damiano et al, 2019;Gulion & Vergnes, 2019;Kurki et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2017). All participants were over 15 years or adults.…”

The effectiveness of a diagnostic interview and modified one‐session treatment for dental anxiety in primary dental care—A pilot study

“…Knowledge of the most feared situations or objects gained through the interview questionnaires and behavioral analysis guided the search for appropriate strategies for managing dental treatment and techniques to control the situation. Overall, the DI enabled us to address the most relevant emotional, behavioral, and physiological components of participants’ dental fear and anxiety 20 . The second goal was to increase the participants’ self‐efficacy.…”

“…Overall, the DI enabled us to address the most relevant emotional, behavioral, and physiological components of participants' dental fear and anxiety. 20 The second goal was to increase the participants' selfefficacy. A summary of the DI was provided to the participants.…”