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Dental Anxiety (dental + anxiety)
Terms modified by Dental Anxiety Selected AbstractsAtraumatic Restorative Treatment and Dental Anxiety in Outpatients Attending Public Oral Health Clinics in South AfricaJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2007Steffen Mickenautsch BDS Abstract Objectives: This study was undertaken to test the hypotheses that using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach results in lower patient anxiety and that lower anxiety leads to higher restoration/extraction ratios. Methods: The test group of dental operators (n=9) was trained in ART. The control group (n=11) was not, and did not apply ART. The Short Form of the Dental Subscale of the Children's Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-SF) and Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) were used to assess patient anxiety after ART (test group) and after traditional restorations (control group). The restoration/extraction ratio calculated for primary (children) and permanent dentitions (adults) per operator was based on 12-month treatment statistics. Dental anxiety assessments were analysed using ANOVA. Differences were compared using the t -test and corrected for confounding factors (ANCOVA). The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to measure the correlation between dental anxiety levels and restoration/extraction ratios. Results: The mean CFSS-SF score for test-group children was statistically significantly lower than for the control-group children. The mean DAS score for test-group adults was statistically significant lower than the control. No significant correlation was observed between dental anxiety level and restoration/extraction ratio per operator for both dentitions in both groups. Conclusion: The first hypothesis was accepted; the second, rejected. Although dental anxiety scores were lower both in child and in adult patients treated by ART than in those who received traditional restorative treatments, this positive effect had not resulted in higher restoration/extraction ratios. [source] Dental fear/anxiety and dental behaviour management problems in children and adolescents: a review of prevalence and concomitant psychological factorsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 6 2007GUNILLA KLINGBERG Objectives., The objectives of this article were to examine the literature published from 1982 to 2006 and to evaluate prevalence of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) and dental behaviour management problems (DBMP) in children and adolescents, and their relationships to age, sex, general anxiety, temperament, and general behavioural problems. Methods., A broad search of the PubMed database was performed using three combinations of search terms. Results., A large proportion of the identified articles could not be used for the review owing to inadequate endpoints, measures or poor study design. Thirty-two papers of acceptable quality were identified and reviewed. The prevalence of both DFA and DBMP were estimated to 9%, with a decrease in prevalence with age. DFA/DBMP were more frequent in girls. DFA/DBMP were related to general fear and both internalizing and externalizing behavioural problems, although these relationships were not clear-cut. Temperament was related to both DFA and DBMP but with different temperamental characteristics, while general behavioural problems mainly correlated with DBMP. Conclusions., DFA/DBMP are common, and several psychological factors are associated with the development of these problems. In order to better understand these relationships, a number of issues concerning design of research and measurement of DFA/DBMP have to be dealt with. [source] Oral Session O24/Dental Anxiety and Behavioural Management 3INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 2009Article first published online: 15 MAY 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Portuguese version of Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale: transcultural adaptation and reliability analysisDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 7 2007Li Wen Hu Ms.C. Abstract This study explores the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), an instrument designed to assess the manifestations of dental anxiety. The DAS has been translated into several languages, but no adaptation and reliability analysis of the Portuguese version of the scale has yet been carried out. A total of 747 Brazilian undergraduate students participated in this study. The instrument proved to have good internal consistency and test,retest reliability. Furthermore, we observed that women are more anxious during dental treatment routines compared to men. Our findings suggest that the Portuguese version of DAS is a reliable instrument for assessing adults' dental anxiety traits, and can be used for both clinical and research purposes. Depression Anxiety 24:467,471, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Psychological trauma exposure and trauma symptoms among individuals with high and low levels of dental anxietyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2006Ad De Jongh This questionnaire-based study investigated the traumatic background and trauma-related symptomatology among 141 treatment-seeking individuals with high levels of dental anxiety and among a low-anxious reference group consisting of 99 regular dental patients. The highly anxious individuals reported a significantly higher number of traumatic events, both within and outside the dental or medical setting, than those in the reference group (73% vs. 21%). Horrific experiences in the dental setting were the most common traumatic events reported. Of the highly anxious individuals, 46.1% indicated suffering from one or more of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, loss of interest, and insomnia), while in the reference group this percentage was 6%. Severity of dental anxiety was significantly associated with number of screening criteria for specific phobia and the extent to which the anxious subjects displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Two variables were uniquely predictive for positive diagnostic screens for dental phobia and PTSD: having experienced a horrific dental treatment and having been a victim of a violent crime. In conclusion, post-traumatic symptoms are common accompaniments of severe forms of dental anxiety and are experienced even when dental treatment is not imminent. [source] Dental trait anxiety and pain sensitivity as predictors of expected and experienced pain in stressful dental proceduresEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 6 2004Ulrich Klages A prevailing hypothesis suggests that exaggerated pain expectations in dentally anxious and pain-sensitive patients might usually be disconfirmed by a lower level of pain experienced during treatment. The present study was conducted to investigate whether this contention also holds during stressful dental procedures. Patients reporting high and low levels of dental fear and of pain sensitivity were compared in their expected and experienced pain and in the concordance between the two measures. Participants were 97 patients undergoing extraction and root canal treatment. The measuring instruments used were the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Pain Sensitivity Index (PSI), affective and sensory pain descriptor scales, and a numerical pain-intensity scale. The results demonstrated that patients, in general, expected more pain than they subsequently experienced. Subjects with a high DAS score both expected and experienced more pain than those with a low DAS score. Within the group of subjects with a high DAS score, those indicating high pain sensitivity expected and experienced more pain than their counterparts; additionally, only those reporting low pain sensitivity disconfirmed their high pain expectancies. The results suggest that during stressful dental procedures, patients indicating dental anxiety and pain sensitivity above median levels are especially at risk of stabilizing exaggerated pain expectations and dental fear. [source] Prediction of success and failure of behavior modification as treatment for dental anxietyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2004I. Eli Behavior modification techniques are effective in the treatment of extreme dental anxiety, but their success is by no means absolute. In the present article, the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), the self-report symptom inventory SCL-90R and a questionnaire accessing subjects' daydreaming styles (the Short Imaginal Process Inventory) were used to develop possible predictive measures for success and failure of behavior modification as a treatment for dental fear. The patients' level of distractibility and mind wandering, initial dental anxiety and somatization significantly predicted the success of therapy. The odds ratio indicated that the risk of therapy failure increased about 11 times with an increase of one scale of the Poor Attention Control Scale, about three times with an increase of one level of the mean DAS score, and 0.17 times with an increase of one level of somatization. The predictive value of the chosen scales was 80%. Thus, the use of these scales as part of an initial admittance process for patients who suffer from dental anxiety can enhance our ability to better recognize patients who are prone to fail behavior therapy as treatment for their problem, and enable their referral for other possible modes of treatment. [source] Temperament and character personality dimensions in patients with dental anxietyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2003Maud Bergdahl The aim of the present study was to investigate character and temperament dimensions of personality in six men and 31 women (aged 20,57 yr) with severe dental anxiety, and to evaluate whether these dimensions were associated with the level of dental anxiety. The Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were used. High ratings in novelty seeking and female gender predicted high DAS scores. Compared with controls, the patients scored significantly higher on the temperament dimension, novelty seeking. For character dimensions, the patients scored lower on cooperativeness and higher on self-transcendence than controls. Our results indicated that patients with dental anxiety are neurotic extravert (i.e. novelty seekers who experience brief dissociative periods and magical thinking). Furthermore, the combination of the inherited temperament dimension novelty seeking and the social learned character dimension cooperativeness and self-transcendence seem to form a vulnerable personality to develop dental anxiety. [source] A 3-year comparison of dental anxiety treatment outcomes: hypnosis, group therapy and individual desensitization vs. no specialist treatmentEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2002Rod Moore Outcomes of hypnotherapy (HT), group therapy (GT) and individual systematic desensitization (SD) on extreme dental anxiety in adults aged 19,65 yr were compared by regular attendance behaviors, changes in dental anxiety and changes in beliefs about dentists and treatment after 3 yr. Treatment groups were comparable with a static reference control group of 65 anxious patients (Dental Anxiety Scale ,,15) who were followed for a mean of nearly 6 yr. After 3 yr, 54.5% of HT patients, 69.6% of GT patients and 65.5% of SD patients were maintaining regular dental care habits. This was better than the 46.1% of the reference group, who reported going regularly to the dentist again within the cohort follow-up period, and 38.9% of a control subgroup with observation for 3 yr. Women were better regular attenders than men at 3 yr. Specialist-treated regular attenders were significantly less anxious and had more positive beliefs than regular attenders from reference groups. There were few differences between HT, GT and SD after 3 yr. It was concluded that many patients can, on their own, successfully start and maintain regular dental treatment habits with dentists despite years of avoidance associated with phobic or extreme anxiety. However, it also appears that these patients had less success in reducing dental anxiety and improving beliefs about dentists long-term than did patients who were treated at the specialist clinic with psychological strategies. [source] Characteristics of adult dentally fearful individuals.EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 4 2000A cross-cultural study This cross-cultural study investigated adult dental fear patients in three countries. A joint intake interview questionnaire and a dental anxiety scale explored the level, background and concomitant factors of dental anxiety among patients at the Universities of Tel Aviv (Israel), Göteborg (Sweden), and Pittsburgh (USA). It was shown that patients at all three sites were quite similar with regard to age, sex, level of dental anxiety (DAS) and avoidance time. Negative emotions were common, with more negative everyday life effects among Swedish patients. Regardless of country, most patients stated that they had always been fearful, but environmental etiologic factors were frequently reported. Swedish patients more often reported both direct and indirect learning patterns than Israeli patients. Patients' motivation for treatment was high, while the belief in getting fear reduction was clearly lower. The most common reason for Israeli patients to seek treatment was a personal decision to try to cope with the situation, while for Swedish patients it was pain. Israeli and US patients preferred more ,active' modes of treatment such as behavioral management therapies, while Swedish patients equally preferred active and more ,passive' treatment approaches such as general anesthesia. Preference for dentist attributes were similar among groups and underlined the strong emphasis that fearful individuals place upon dentists' behaviors and their performance of dentistry. [source] An evaluation of the PALS after treatment modelling intervention to reduce dental anxiety in child dental patientsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2009KAREN E. HOWARD Aim., The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the passivity to activity through live symbolic (PALS) after treatment modelling intervention to reduce child dental anxiety. Methods., A convenience sample of consecutive 5- to 10-year-old dental patients were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Self-reported child dental anxiety was assessed at the start of each visit. At the end of each visit, children in the intervention group were introduced to a glove puppet, which acted as the PALS model. The intervention group children re-enacted the treatment they had just received on the puppet's teeth. At the end of each visit, the control children received motivational rewards only. The change in dental anxiety scores was examined by t -tests and analysis of covariance. Results., The final analysis included 27 intervention children and 26 control children. For the intervention group, there were no statistically significant changes in dental anxiety over a course of treatment, between first and second preventive visits, between first and second invasive treatment visits, or between first attendance and subsequent recall attendance. For the control group, a statistically significant decrease in dental anxiety was observed between the first and second invasive dental treatment visits. Conclusion., The PALS after treatment modelling intervention was ineffective in reducing child dental anxiety. [source] Fear of blood, injury, and injections, and its relationship to dental anxiety and probability of avoiding dental treatment among 18-year-olds in NorwayINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2008MARGRETHE VIKA Background:, More knowledge about the relationship between blood,injury,injection phobia (BIIP) and dental anxiety (DA) may give new clinically relevant information in the assessment and management of children with DA. Objective:, The aims of this study were to explore the relationships between BIIP and DA, and to explore to what extent the two subtypes of BIIP in combination with DA are related to self-reported probability of avoiding dental treatment if a dental injection is needed. Methods:, The subjects were a random sample of 1385 18-year-olds attending high schools in a county of Norway, and the data were collected by use of questionnaires completed in classrooms. The survey instruments applied were Dental Fear Survey, Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety, and Mutilation Questionnaire. Results:, About 11% of the subjects with DA and subtypes of BIIP, respectively, reported high probability of avoiding dental treatment in a situation where a dental injection was possibly needed. In multiple regression analysis, only DA contributed to self-reports of high probability of avoiding dental treatment. Conclusion:, The results indicate that among adolescents, BIIP is relatively often connected with DA. Clinical implications are discussed. [source] A fearful child attends: a psychoanalytic explanation of children's responses to dental treatmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 6 2007RUTH FREEMAN Background., At the mention of dental treatment some children become overwhelmed by anxiety whereas others appear to take the news in their stride. Sometimes when anxious children attend dental treatment, they appear to cope, contain their fears, and passively submit to treatment, whereas others angrily refuse to open their mouths and a third group of children exist who seem to just ,tough it out' no matter how disagreeable or frightening dental treatment becomes. The question remains: why do children react so differently to dental treatment? Aim., This paper aims to provide a psychoanalytic explanation as to why children react and respond differently to dental treatment. Results., This paper proposes a psychoanalytic formulation based on the functionality of the family, parent,child dyads, child psychological development, and the child's emotional and actual life experiences. Conclusions., There is a need to understand the dynamic nature of child dental anxiety and to appreciate the hidden factors and underlying complexities associated with the anxious child who attends for dental treatment. [source] A study to assess the validity of clinical judgement in determining paediatric dental anxiety and related outcomes of managementINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2005R. D. HOLMES Summary. Objective. The aim of the present study was to determine the validity of subjective anxiety assessment and the outcomes of management of children receiving operative dental treatment. Setting., The study was conducted at the Departments of Sedation and Child Dental Health, Newcastle Dental Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Subjects and methods., One hundred children and adolescents aged between 8 and 15 years participated in the study. Clinicians subjectively allocated 50 children for treatment with local analgesia alone (low anxiety), and identified 50 children who had the potential to benefit from nitrous oxide and oxygen sedation (high anxiety). Participants then completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Venham Picture Test (VPT) and the Child Fear Survey Schedule , Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS). A global rating scale classified behaviour during dental treatment. Results., State anxiety and dental fear prior to treatment were significantly higher in children allocated to receive inhalation sedation (P = 0·004 and P = 0·005, respectively). There was no significant difference in trait anxiety or post-treatment state anxiety between the two groups (P = 0·69 and P = 0·06, respectively). Only 11% displayed ,negative' behaviour during treatment: 82% of this group represented those allocated to receive sedation. Conclusion., Children receiving inhalation sedation were significantly more anxious prior to treatment than children receiving treatment with local analgesia alone. The findings support the subjective assessment of anxiety in children; however, objective anxiety measures may assist clinicians in identifying specific fears, which may ultimately aid patient management. [source] The modulating effect of culture on the expression of dental anxiety in children: a literature reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2004M. O. FOLAYAN Summary. The experience of anxiety is a universal human phenomenon. Studies have shown a world-wide variation in the prevalence of dental anxiety with estimates ranging between 3% and 43%. The aetiology of dental anxiety is multifactorial, with factors acting in synergy to affect its expression. For children, age and gender play fundamental roles in its expression. However, these two factors are modulated by other variables such as culture which may influence the context in which anxiety is experienced, the interpretation of its meaning and responses to it. The modulating effect of culture in synergy with other variables may be one of the reasons why reports on dental anxiety have varied from region to region. This paper attempts to identify the interrelating roles of culture, age and gender, and how these relationships may affect variability in the expression and measurement of dental anxiety in children. [source] Pharmacological approach to the management of dental anxiety in children , comments from a Scandinavian point of viewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 5 2002G. Klingberg No abstract is available for this article. [source] Chemomechanical caries removal in primary teeth in a group of anxious childrenJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 8 2003G. Ansari summary Chemomechanical removal of dental caries has considerable potential in the treatment of patients with management problems, especially in paediatric dentistry. The aim of this study was to assess the acceptance and success of the technique in young nervous patients. A group of 20 patients, aged between 4 and 10 years with a high level of dental anxiety was selected. The study achieved a success rate of over 90% in acceptance of cavity preparation by this procedure followed by placement of a restoration. The length of time required for cavity preparation was comparable with conventional methods. The need for local anaesthesia was reduced or eliminated and the children did not complain of any pain during the procedure. It is concluded that chemomechanical caries removal in vivo in primary teeth is an effective alternative to conventional mechanical caries removal and is advantageous in patients who have a phobia to the dental handpiece and/or injections. [source] Assessing dental anxiety in children: the Revised Smiley Faces ProgramCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2010H. Buchanan First page of article [source] A comparison of two implant techniques on patient-based outcome measures: a report of flapless vs. conventional flapped implant placementCLINICAL ORAL IMPLANTS RESEARCH, Issue 4 2010Jerome A. Lindeboom Abstract Background: Flapless implant surgery is considered to offer advantages over the traditional flap access approach. There may be minimized bleeding, decreased surgical times and minimal patient discomfort. Controlled studies comparing patient outcome variables to support these assumptions, however, are lacking. Aim: The objective of this clinical study was to compare patient outcome variables using flapless and flapped implant surgical techniques. Patients and methods: From January 2008 to October 2008, 16 consecutive patients with edentulous maxillas were included in the study. Patients were randomly allocated to either implant placement with a flapless procedure (eight patients, mean age 54.6±2.9 years) or surgery with a conventional flap procedure (eight patients, mean age 58.7±7.2 years). All implants were placed using a Nobel guide® CT-guided surgical template. Outcome measures were the Dutch version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), dental anxiety using the s-DAI and oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14). Results: Ninety-six implants were successfully placed. All implants were placed as two-phase implants and the after-implant placement dentures were adapted. No differences could be shown between conditions on dental anxiety (s-DAI), emotional impact (IES-R), anxiety, procedure duration or technical difficulty, although the flapless group did score consistently higher. The flap procedure group reported less impact on quality of life and included more patients who reported feeling no pain at all during placement. Conclusions: Differences found in the patient outcome variables do suggest that patients in the flapless implant group had to endure more than patients in the flap group. To cite this article: Lindeboom JA, van Wijk AJ. A comparison of two implant techniques on patient-based outcome measures: a report of flapless vs. conventional flapped implant placement. Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 21, 2010; 366,370. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2009.01866.x [source] Applying Andersen's behavioural model to oral health: what are the contextual factors shaping perceived oral health outcomes?COMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009S. R. Baker Abstract,,, Objectives:, Andersen's revised behavioural model provides a framework for understanding the factors which influence utilization of health services and key health outcomes. To date, there have been few studies that have explicitly tested the model in relation to oral health. The aim of this study was to test the model and to examine the direct and mediated pathways between social, attitudinal and behavioural factors and perceived oral health outcomes. Methods:, The model was tested in a general population sample with data from the UK adult dental health survey (N = 3815) using the two-stage process of structural equation modelling. Results:, Structural equation modelling indicated support in line with the hypotheses within the model; enabling resources (oral health education advice, type of dental service, finding NHS treatment expensive, dental anxiety) predicted need (number of decayed or unsound teeth and perceived treatment need); enabling resources and need predicted personal health practices and use of services (frequency of toothbrushing, recent dental attendance, attendance orientation) which, in turn, predicted perceived oral health outcomes (oral health quality of life). Both enabling resources and need also predicted perceived oral health outcomes. The impact of predisposing factors (social class, qualifications, income) on need, personal health practices and use of services, and oral health outcomes was indirect; that is, mediated by intervening factors. In the final model, 26%, 37%, 49% and 21% of the variance was accounted for in enabling resources, treatment need, personal health practices and use of services and perceived oral health outcomes respectively. Conclusion:, The results provide support for Andersen's behavioural model as applied to perceived oral health. Further conceptual development of the model is discussed. [source] Trajectories of dental anxiety in a birth cohortCOMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009W. M. Thomson Abstract,,,Objective:, To examine predictors of dental anxiety trajectories in a longitudinal study of New Zealanders. Methods: Prospective study of a complete birth cohort born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, New Zealand, with dental anxiety scale (DAS) scores and dental utilization determined at ages 15, 18, 26 and 32 years. Personality traits were assessed at a superfactor and (more fine-grained) subscale level via the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire at age 18 years. Group-based trajectory analysis was used to identify dental anxiety trajectories. Results: DAS scores from at least three assessments were available for 828 participants. Six dental anxiety trajectories were observed: stable nonanxious low (39.6%); stable nonanxious medium (37.9%); recovery (1.6%); adult-onset anxious (7.7%); stable anxious (7.2%) and adolescent-onset anxious (5.9%). Multivariate analysis showed that males and those with higher DMFS at age 15 years were more likely to be in the stable nonanxious low trajectory group. Membership of the stable nonanxious medium group was predicted by the dental caries experience at age 15 years. Participants who had lost one or more teeth between ages 26 and 32 years had almost twice the relative risk for membership of the adult-onset anxious group. Personality traits predicted group membership. Specifically, high scorers (via median split) on the ,stress reaction' subscale had over twice the risk of being in the stable anxious group; low scorers on the traditionalism subscale were more likely to be members of the recovery trajectory group; and high scorers on the ,social closeness' subscale had half the risk of being in the stable anxious group. Dental caries experience at age 5 years was also a predictor for the stable anxious group. Membership of the late-adolescent-onset anxious group was predicted by higher dental caries experience by age 15 years, but none of the other predictors was significant. Conclusion: Six discrete trajectories of dental anxiety have been observed. Some trajectories (totalling more than 90% of the cohort) had clear associations with external influences, but others were more strongly associated with characteristics such as personality traits. A mix of both influences was observed with only the stable anxious dental anxiety trajectory. [source] Dental fear in adults: a meta-analysis of behavioral interventionsCOMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Gerd Kvale Abstract , Objectives:, The aim of this meta-analytic and systematic quantitative approach is to examine the effects of behavioral interventions for dental anxiety and dental phobia. Methods:, Eighty studies were identified where dental fear treatment with behavioral methods was evaluated. Thirty-eight of 80 met entry criteria and were included in a meta-analysis. Results:, The calculated effect sizes (ESs) for self-reported anxiety after intervention indicate positive changes in 36 of the 38 studies and no changes in two. The overall ES = 1.8 (95% CI: 1.6, 1.8). The percent of subjects with post-treatment dental visits in the first 6 months post-treatment varied between 50 and 100%. The overall ES for attendance at dental visits, weighted by sample size, is 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3, 1.6). The homogeneity analysis indicates that the studies cannot be adequately described in one ES. The reported percentage of subjects with a dental visit between 6 months and 4 years post-treatment varied from 48 to 100%. The overall weighted ES for visiting the dentist, adjusted for drop-outs in the studies, is 1.2 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.4). Conclusions:, Despite extensive heterogeneity, changes in self-reported anxiety represent medium to large ESs. Patients signing up for a behavioral intervention for dental fear can be expected to report a significant reduction in their fear, and this effect generally seems to be lasting. Mean long-term attendance (>4 years after treatment) is 77%. [source] | ||||||||||