Reducing fear of pain associated with endodontic therapy

AIM: To provide subjects with positive information about endodontic treatment (ET) to reduce fear of pain associated with ET. METHODOLOGY: A large sample (n = 437) was randomly allocated to read one of five informative paragraphs and afterwards asked to complete two questionnaires (dental anxiety and fear of dental pain). The paragraphs consisted of dental information obtained from patient brochures. One (experimental) paragraph consisted of positive information about pain during ET. Analysis of variance followed by post hoc analysis was used to detect differences in mean score. RESULTS: Subjects who were given the positive information regarding ET indicated they were less fearful of pain associated with ET. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical implication of this experiment is that patients should be accurately informed about pain associated with ET. In this way, the patient may be more at ease before and during treatment, decrease avoidance behaviour and make decisions regarding treatment choice, based on common sense rather than fearful expectations.     

Memory of pain and anxiety associated with tooth extraction

Concerns regarding pain constitute a large component of dental anxiety, and patients with high dental anxiety are likely to have exaggerated memory and prediction of dental pain. It remains to be investigated, however, if memory of anxiety is exaggerated in a manner similar to that of pain, and if anxiety and pain assimilate in memory over time. A sample of 79 patients presenting for emergency extraction rated their anxiety and pain before, during, and two weeks after the procedure. Measures of trait dental anxiety and fear of pain also were collected. All patients exaggerated their recall of procedure pain, but only those high in trait dental anxiety exaggerated their recall of anxiety. Highly anxious patients reported more pain prior to the procedure and expected more pain; ratings of anxiety and pain for all participants assimilated over time.     

Anxiety and pain during dental injections

Objectives

The aim of this study was to study the relationship between anxiety and pain felt during a dental injection in a sample of ‘normal’ patients about to undergo ‘invasive’ dental treatment.

Methods

Duration and intensity of pain during a dental injection were measured within a sample of 247 patients. In addition, data on dental anxiety, fear of dental pain, type of treatment, amount of anesthetic fluid, injection location and the use of surface anesthesia were also collected.

Results

Anxious patients felt more pain and of longer duration than less anxious patients. 28% of variance on the duration of pain felt could be accounted for by fear of dental pain, the use of surface anesthesia and gender. For the intensity of pain felt, 22% of variance could be accounted for by anxiety felt for the injection and dental anxiety.

Conclusions

Pain felt during dental injections is dependent on dental anxiety, fear of dental pain, fear for the injection, gender and amount of injection fluid (rather than the use of surface anesthesia). In other words, some patients are expected to feel elevated levels of pain during dental injection and would benefit from extra attention and care from the dentist.     

拔牙患者牙科畏惧症的临床调查

目的：研究拔牙患者围拔牙手术期的焦虑状况及其相关因素,为临床防治牙科畏惧症提供指导。方法：采用改良牙科焦虑量表（DAS）对200例拔牙患者进行横断面调查和统计分析。结果：200例拔牙患者中有10.50%的患者DAS评分值≥13,属于严重的牙科焦虑情况,尤其在局部麻醉前焦虑水平最高。牙科畏惧相关因素分析中DAS评分较高因素有：女性、性格偏内向、自我或周围人有不良牙科经历者、疼痛耐受程度低、精神状态差和心情紧张等。结论：拔牙术前的牙科畏惧症有较高发生率,达到10.50%,并且其相关因素较多。患者最为恐惧的因素是拔牙前局麻注射时的疼痛。     

Dental pain and oral health-related quality of life in individuals with severe dental anxiety

Objectives: To analyze the prevalence and level of dental pain among adult individuals with severe dental anxiety (DA), and the association between dental pain and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Methods: The study was based on 170 adult individuals with DA referred to a specialized DA clinic. All patients answered a questionnaire including questions on DA (DAS, DFS), OHRQoL (OIDP) and dental pain. An adapted clinical examination and a panoramic radiograph revealed the present oral status.

Results: The prevalence of dental pain was high (77.6%) and among those reporting pain the intensity was high (49.0–61.0 on a VAS). One or more problems during the last 6 months with the mouth or teeth affecting the individual’s daily activities were reported in 85.3% of the participants. Individuals who reported dental pain had lower OHRQoL compared with those who did not report dental pain (p?p?p?=?.008).

Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence and a high level of dental pain among adult individuals with severe DA. Having dental pain was associated with poor OHRQoL.     

Factors associated with pain induced by orthodontic separators

Pain resulting from the application of orthodontic forces varies markedly across individuals. The reasons of this variability are still largely unknown. To investigate factors that may be associated with orthodontic pain following the application of orthodontic separators. One hundred and seven participants were screened for pain response over 48 h following placement of orthodontic elastomeric separators. The highest (n = 10) and lowest (n = 10) pain responders were identified, and data collected on tooth pain sensitivity to electrical stimulation in conjunction with using the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS), Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and cold pressor test (CPT). There were statistically significant differences between high‐ and low‐pain responders in catastrophising score (P ≤ 0·023). For every PCS magnification score of 1 unit higher, the relative risk of being a high‐pain responder was 1·6 (P = 0·002); those scoring higher on helplessness had a lower risk of being so. DAS scores of high‐pain responders were twice as high as those of low‐pain responder (P = 0·043). During the first 2 min of CPT, the high‐pain responders experienced more pain than the low‐pain responders (P ≤ 0·029). Tooth pain thresholds did not differ between the two different pain responder groups. Pain catastrophising, dental anxiety and cold sensitivity appear to modify the pain experienced following placement of orthodontic separators. Further research is needed to determine the validity of screening questions to identify at‐risk patients prior to commencing orthodontic treatment.     

Prevalence of dental anxiety and associations with oral health,psychological distress,avoidance and anticipated pain in adolescence: a cross-sectional study based on the Tromsø study,Fit Futures

Objective: To describe the prevalence of dental anxiety (DA) among adolescents in Tromsø and Balsfjord region in northern Norway and present a multivariate logistic regression model to predict high dental anxiety scores (DASs) among these adolescents.

Materials and methods: We used self-report questionnaires and clinical dental examination data from adolescents registered in upper secondary school (15–18 years of age) in this region (n?=?986). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) when using Corah’s DAS as a dichotomous dependent variable.

Results: Twelve percent of the respondents reported a DAS score ≥13, indicating high DA. The strongest predictors for reporting high DA were anticipated pain at the dentist, ‘external control belief’, avoidance, low social motivation on oral health behaviour and sex. In this population, dental caries (DMFS), symptoms of psychological distress (HSCL-10) and self-motivation concerning oral health behaviour did not differ significantly between those reporting high DA (DAS ≥13) and those that reported low DA (DAS ≤12).

Conclusions: Severe DA in adolescence is a dental public health challenge and this study shows that DA is a hindrance to seeking dental treatment irrespective of dental status. Dental anxiety should have a higher focus on preventive oral health strategies and have a higher priority in public dentistry to avoid this problem to escalate into adulthood.     

Psychological factors and perceptions of pain associated with dental treatment

Although pain during dental treatment has been identified as playing a major role in the onset of dental anxiety and is a major concern of patients when seeking dental care, there have been very few studies of the prevalence of pain during dental treatment and the factors associated with patients' perceptions of pain. This study used data from a longitudinal population-based study to assess the proportion of dental attenders who experienced pain while having dental treatment and the psychological characteristics which predisposed them to experience pain. Of 1422 subjects who completed questionnaires at baseline and five-year follow-up, 96.4% had visited a dentist over the observation period. Two fifths, 42.5%, reported having pain during treatment and one-fifth, 19.1%, had pain that was moderate to severe in intensity. Reports of pain were associated with the types of treatment received, and a number of baseline sociodemographic and psychological factors. In a logistic regression analysis predicting the probability of pain, a variable documenting the number of types of invasive treatment received (restorations, extractions, crowns/bridges, root canal therapy and periodontal treatment/surgery) had the strongest independent effect. Pain was also more likely to be reported by those with previous painful experiences and those who were anxious about dental treatment, expected treatment to be painful and felt that they had little control over the treatment process. Pain was less likely to be reported by those who said they were unwilling to accept or tolerate pain. Younger subjects and those with higher levels of education were more likely to report pain than older subjects and those with a lower educational level. These results indicate that pain is as much a cognitive and emotional construct as a physiological experience. They also have implications for dentists' behaviour when providing dental care.     

Gender differences in reported dental fear and fear of dental pain

Objectives: Gender differences in dental fear have been of increasing interest among clinicians and researchers. The objectives of this study were to assess: (i) gender differences in reports of global dental fear, global fear of dental pain, and specific fear of dental pain; (ii) how the wording of questions about specific fear of dental pain influences a subjective report, and (iii) the interactions between gender differences and wording effects in the reports of specific fear of dental pain. Methods: A telephonic survey of 504 adult Floridians was conducted in 2004. Data collected included six measures of specific fear of dental pain, one measure of global fear of dental pain, one measure of global dental fear, and demographic information. Results: Women were more likely to report global dental fear, global fear of dental pain, and specific fear of dental pain than men, and both women and men were more likely to report ‘dread’ of dental pain than ‘fear’ of dental pain. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that: (i) there are gender differences in reports of dental fear and fear of dental pain; and (ii) both men and women are more willing to express their fearful feelings regarding dentistry using a more socially acceptable term.     

Dental fear and pain: effect on patient''s perception of the dentist

A questionnaire was developed including the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS) as subscales to examine the epidemiology of dental fear and dental beliefs in Germany. The survey was administered before treatment to a sample of 474 dental patients. Of the respondents 56% were female. The mean age was 34.3 yr (SD 12.4 yr). The mean DAS score was 8.6 (SD 3.7). Mean DBS score ranged from 1.73 to 2.75 for single items. The correlation between DAS and DBS scores was highly significant (rs = 0.39, P less than 0.001). Absence or presence of dental pain revealed significant differences for DAS and DBS scores (P less than 0.001). Both tests are valid screening forms for the German linguistic context and easy to implement in daily dental routine.     

Fear of injections and report of negative dentist behavior among Caucasian American and Taiwanese adults from dental school clinics

Abstract Fear of injections and reports of negative dentist behavior and associations with dental anxiety and avoidance of treatment were explored among 951 adults from denial school clinics in Iowa City, Iowa and Taipei. Taiwan. Use and fear of anesthetic injections and negative dentist behavior were assessed by written questionnaire to test associations with demographics, overall dental anxiety (Dental Anxiety Scale or “DAS”) and utilization behaviors. Frequency and logistic regression analyses showed that use of dental anesthetics for routine treatment was much greater overall among Caucasian Americans than Taiwanese, as was fear of injections. Taiwanese and Americans with high dental anxiety (DAS 12) had similar high fear of injections, but inspite of similar fears about dental drilling, high anxiety Taiwanese reported using much less local anesthesia for routine treatments than did high anxiety Americans. Report of condescending remarks to patients (“put downs”) by dentists was mainly an American phenomenon associated with high dental anxiety. Avoidance of appointment making was high for persons afraid of injections and for Americans reporting negative dentist behavior. Avoidance was highest in subjects with high dental anxiety. That predominant characteristics or etiologies of dental anxiety can differ by cultural differences in dental health care systems, dentist beliefs and/or expectations of patients within those systems was discussed in relation to the literature.     

Dental anxiety and pain related to dental hygienist treatment

Objective. To evaluate different groups of patients’ self-reported assessments of dental anxiety and pain related to various routine dental hygienist treatment procedures, and to investigate the relationship between anxiety concerning dental and dental hygienist treatment. Material and methods. A consecutive sample of 393 patients participated in the study (59.7% F, age range 20 to 85 years, mean 47.6 years). Periodontology (PC), oral medicine (OM), student and general practice (GP) clinics were included. Each patient was asked to answer a questionnaire which included different demographic information, self-reported levels of dental anxiety, and experience of pain in relation to different dental hygienist treatments. Results. Higher dental anxiety was found in relation to gender (women), dentist treatment, and PC and OM patients. Experiences of high or extreme pain were reported by between 7.1% and 9.7% of participants for all dental hygienist procedures except polishing (0.8%). There were significant correlations between dental hygienist fear levels and reported extreme pain experiences among all five treatment procedures. Patients treated at the PC clinic scored significantly higher on pain compared with patients at the other clinics, with the exception of the OM clinic. Conclusions. Patients reported higher dental anxiety levels for dentist treatment as compared with dental hygienist treatment. Moreover, dental anxiety was significantly associated with perceived pain related to different dental hygienist treatment procedures.     

Children's coping with pain during dental care

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was (i) to assess the coping strategies of 11-year-old children when dealing with pain at the dentist, (ii) to determine the extent to which the level of the children's dental fear and their experience with pain at the dentist are related to their ability to cope and their choice of strategies, and (iii) to analyse the possible differences between subsamples concerning dental caries. METHODS: The coping strategies were investigated using the Dental Cope Questionnaire (n = 597); the level of dental fear was assessed using the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS); a question is asked whether a child had experienced pain at the dentist in the past and dental caries was assessed using the DMFS index. RESULTS: The results show that 11-year olds use a variety of coping strategies. Internal strategies are used most frequently, external coping strategies are used less frequently, and destructive strategies are hardly used. The subjects rate internal and external strategies as effective. Children with pain experience and fearful children use more coping strategies, with fearful children using more internal strategies. Reported pain and anxiety were related to the dental status. CONCLUSIONS: The use and choice of coping strategies seems to be at least partly determined by the level of dental fear and the child's experience with pain.     

Catastrophizing, anxiety and pain during dental hygiene treatment

Objectives : This study examined the relations between catastrophizing, dental anxiety, and pain during dental hygiene treatment. Methods: Participants were 78 (32 men, 46 women) consecutive referrals to the Dalhousie University Dental Clinic. All patients were scheduled for a scaling procedure performed by senior dental hygiene students. Following treatment, patients completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Dental Anxiety Scale – Revised, and were asked to rate the degree of pain they experienced during the scaling procedure. Results: Regression analyses revealed that age and the rumination subscale of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale were signicant predictors of pain, even when controlling for gender, and oral hygiene status. Conclusions: Thendings suggest that excessive focus on pain sensations may be one of the mechanisms by which catastrophizing leads to increased pain. The clinical challenges will be to develop cost- and time-effective means of identifying individuals who catastrophize and to implement interventions to reduce their level of distress.     

Gagging and its associations with dental care–related fear,fear of pain and beliefs about treatment

BackgroundGagging is a behavioral response that interferes with oral health care and may be related to dental care–related fear. Little is known, however, about the epidemiology of gagging during dental treatment.MethodsTo explore this phenomenon, the authors recruited participants from the waiting area of an oral diagnosis clinic. Participants completed a gagging behavior questionnaire, the Dental Fear Survey, the Fear of Pain Questionnaire—9, the Revised Dental Beliefs Survey and a demographics questionnaire.ResultsAlmost one-half of the 478 participants reported gagging on at least one occasion during dental visits, and 7.5 percent of participants reported almost always or always gagging. With higher frequency of problems with gagging, patients were more likely to have greater levels of dental care–related fear, fear of pain and more negative beliefs about dental professionals and dental treatment. Furthermore, participants who gagged more readily had greater dental care–related fear than did participants who had less of a propensity to gag.ConclusionsGagging in the dental office is a prevalent problem, and dental care–related fear and fear of pain are associated with more frequent gagging.Practical ImplicationsGiven the prevalence of patients reporting problems with gagging, it may be helpful for providers to assess patients' propensity for gagging, which can be a barrier to treatment. By targeting dental care–related fear, fear of pain and negative beliefs about dental care in patients who often gag when receiving dental care, clinicians may be able to help reduce gagging in frequency or intensity, potentially making treatment more comfortable for patients and easier for dental care providers.     

Reliability and clinical usefulness of psychometric measures in a self-referred population of odontophobics

Questionnaire responses of 155 self-referred subjects with extreme dental fear were used to evaluate the reliability and clinical usefulness of some psychometric tests used in diagnosis and treatment. The Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a general Geer Fear Scale (GFS) were filled out by all subjects, while 80 patients with highest dental fear scores were also tested before and after dental fear treatment with the following scales; a Getz Dental Belief Survey (DBS), Dental Fear Survey (DFS), and a Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL). Cronbach's alpha measured internal consistency reliability. SPSS data analyses calculated item-remainder and test-retest correlations. Clinical usefulness of scales was judged by Spearman correlations of initial scores and test score changes after dental fear treatment. All total test scores showed high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. DFS was judged the preferred clinical measure of threatening perceptions of pain or unpleasantness specific to dental procedures. DBS and STAI-State measured confidence in relating with the dentist and situational fear associated with that relationship. GFS, STAI-Trait, and MACL discriminated levels of general fearfulness, anxiety and mood fluctuations that can impact on dental fear.     

Factors associated with mucosal pain in patients with partial removable dental prostheses

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with mucosal pain in patients with partial removable dental prostheses (PRDPs). In this hospital‐based cross‐sectional study, 333 patients wearing 500 PRDPs (mean age 71·4 years, men 33·3%) were consecutively recruited from prosthetic clinic of a dental hospital in Japan. Subjects rated pain intensity and frequency of denture‐bearing mucosa. An examiner recorded age, gender and systemic diseases as well as dental, mucosa, denture, sensory, behavioural‐ and psychological‐related characteristics that were possibly associated with the mucosal pain. Multivariate analyses were performed to analyse factors related to mucosal pain. Pain intensity was rated as more than score 0 (presence) in 34·2% (171/500) PRDPs, and pain was experienced after denture delivery in 42·8% (214/500) PRDPs. Logistic regression analyses showed that younger age, mucosal damage, poor mucosal condition, bone prominence, poor residual ridge, higher pain sensitivity, presence of awake bruxism, perception of oral dryness, interim denture wear and high number of missing teeth were significant independent predictors for the presence of the mucosal pain intensity and/or frequency (P < 0·05). Multiple factors are associated with mucosal pain in patients with PRDPs. Oral mucosal characteristics, age, pain sensitivity and behavioural factors seem to be more critical for mucosal pain than distribution of missing teeth and number of abutment teeth.     

Dental anxiety among Israeli dental students: a 4-year longitudinal study

The aims of the present study were (a) to evaluate students' estimation of their parents' dental anxiety; (b) to measure students' dental anxiety and to study their ranking of the most fear provoking stimuli in the dental situation during their pre-clinical and clinical years; (c) to investigate gender differences among students with regard to dental anxiety. 30 3rd-year students (15 male and 15 female) who completed a 4-section questionnaire which requested sociodemographic information, evaluation of parents' dental anxiety, dental anxiety scale (DAS) and dental fear scale (DFS), completed the DAS and DFS in their 5th and 6th years. Both male and female students estimated their mothers' dental anxiety as significantly higher than their fathers'. Female students ranked their parents higher than males. DAS scores were significantly higher among female students than among males in the 3rd year. However, DAS scores were reduced from the 3rd to the 6th year among the total class and significantly among females, while males' levels of anxiety remained within close range throughout the years. The dental anxiety scores of all students who experienced a dental procedure in the past were higher than the scores of the students who did not. The most fearful stimulus was 'feeling the needle'. Our findings may suggest that the change in the reported dental anxiety of the students during the years of dental studies in the present study may be explained by the increased professional education and clinical experience that the students acquire throughout their studies in the dental school. Being exposed to basic trivial dental procedures (such as local anaesthetic injection) may help students either to be habituated or to use rational coping strategies when dealing with personal dental experience.     

Dental anxiety and oral health outcomes among rural older adults

Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the degree to which rural older adults are able to complete a measure of dental anxiety and to assess the prevalence, as well as the demographic and oral health characteristics, of individuals reporting high dental anxiety. Methods: A population‐based sample of 635 African American, American Indian and White older adults (age ≥60 years) completed an in‐home survey, and 362 dentate participants completed an oral examination. Dental anxiety was measured using the four‐item Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS). Gender, ethnicity, age, education, and oral health outcomes were compared between those who completed all four DAS questions (completers) and those who did not (noncompleters) as well as, among completers, those with high versus low DAS scores. Results: There were 94 (14.8%) noncompleters. Noncompletion was associated with older age, lower education, being edentulous, and having gingival recession. 12.4% of DAS completers had high DAS scores, which was more common among those aged 60‐70 years, women, and those with oral pain and sore or bleeding gums. In logistic regression analysis, only sore and bleeding gums had a significant association with a high DAS score (odds ratio = 2.40, 95% confidence interval 1.09‐5.26). Conclusions: About one in eight rural older adults have high dental anxiety, which is associated with poor oral health outcomes. Identifying new approaches to measure dental anxiety among a population with limited interaction with dental care providers is needed.