17/10/2024 16:11:33
Management of Dental Anxiety | New Dental Training Course
Dental anxiety is the fear of dentistry and receiving dental care. It affects many patients to varying degrees, with some experiencing mild anxiety while others have more intense fears. Sufferers often avoid routine dental visits, leading to delays in the early diagnosis of treatable issues.
Those who suffer from dental anxiety often avoid routine dental visits, delaying the early diagnosis of treatable issues. As a result, these untreated problems can worsen, leading to more complex and costly treatments, which trigger the dental anxiety cycle. This cycle intensifies a patient’s fears, making them more likely to seek care only when in significant pain or facing a dental emergency, often resulting in extensive dental procedures that could have been prevented with earlier intervention.
This course supports health and care professionals to understand the causes of anxiety in dental patients, the consequences of anxiety (including the anxiety cycle), and methods that can be used to alleviate dental anxiety.
What are Common Triggers?
- The sound of the dental equipment.
- The smell of some dental materials.
- The anticipation of undergoing dental treatment, for example, whilst sat in the waiting room or waiting for dental appointments.
- The unknown. Will it hurt? How long will I be in the dental chair? Who is carrying out my treatment?
Methods to Assess Levels of Anxiety
In order to help reduce anxieties, after identifying that signs are present, we need to be able to assess the severity of the issue.
There are several recognised ways to do this. This could include (but is not limited to):
Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS)
This consists of four questions about different dental situations. Each question is scored from 1 (not anxious) to 5 (extremely anxious) so the score range is 4 to 20. A score of 15 or more indicates significant anxiety.
The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS)
This consists of five questions each with a five-category rating scale, ranging from ‘not anxious’ to ‘extremely anxious’. The response method is a simplified rating in comparison with the CDAS. The MDAS has an extra item about the respondent’s anxiety to a local anaesthetic injection, therefore, five questions rather than four.
Dental Fear Survey (DFS)
This method was originally developed as a 27-item scale, and later reduced to 20 items. The score can range from 20 to 100. A cut-off point for high dental fear has been suggested at a score higher than 60. The system has 3 dimensions: avoidance of dental treatment, physiological fear reaction, and anxiety caused by different dental stimuli.
Creating Positive Patient Experiences
Ensuring a patient’s visit to the practice, whether it be for a routine examination or extensive treatment, is as smooth and straightforward as possible can only help to alleviate levels of anxiety a patient may have.
Having a team that are both supportive and approachable is priceless and allows patients to gradually build trust and confidence with each future visit.
It is important that anxious patients do not feel rushed or pressured, so adequate time should be allocated for their appointments.
Appropriate appointment planning can also prevent long delays for patients who may become anxious in the waiting area.
To Summarise
Dental phobias and anxiety can have a severe adverse impact on a patient’s quality of life, however, as dental professionals, we can play an active role in creating a positive and welcoming experience for patients visiting the dental practice.
Good communication skills, creating a calming environment and tailoring coping methods to the patient can help significantly with reducing anxieties. However, it is important to recognise that what may be beneficial to one patient may not work for another.
Who is this Dental eLearning Course Suitable For?
This course has been created for all dental care professionals who may encounter dental patients who are anxious. This course is more suitable for those involved in the dental clinical care of a patient as it includes sedation considerations.
Our Management of Dental Anxiety course has been developed mainly for dentists, practice nurses, and dental hygienists.
Development Outcomes Approved by the General Dental Council (GDC)
This dental anxiety management training covers GDC development outcomes C and D.
This course also aligns with the following GDC Aims:
To be able to define dental anxiety, to understand how dental anxiety has an impact on a patient’s quality of life, how we can recognise dental anxiety, and how we can help patients to feel comfortable in the dental environment.
For more information on our dentist training, dental nurse training, and dental hygienist training, click here to contact Blue Stream Academy's friendly team.