Fear of the dentist is a common struggle that clinicians need to manage. Ensuring patients can work through this fear in the dental practice increases their access to care, and willingness to engage with treatment, leading to improved oral health outcomes.
Understanding the roots of dental trauma has always been an intriguing point of research. A new study published in BMC Oral Health assessed the relationship between dentophobia and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and found that adolescents who reported ACEs had higher odds of reporting dental fear.
Instead of traumas specifically connected to the dental chair, ACEs include experiences of adversity, physical abuse, witnessing violence, sexual abuse, parental divorce, parental alcohol problems, and being bullied.
Lena Myran, psychologist and the research team’s leader at the Center for Oral Health Services and Research, Mid-Norway, was quoted by Popular Science, saying, “The patients lie on their backs in a vulnerable position while an authority figure works inside the mouth. It’s no wonder that dental treatment can be difficult.
“Bullying means being systemically rejected and ridiculed. If you have experienced bullying, you may have a hypersensitivity to other people’s intentions, there may be periods during dental treatment where it is silent, and you do not quite know what the dentist is thinking.”
Exposure to multiple ACEs was associated with higher odds of reporting dental fear, which aligned with a cumulative risk model, and is consistent with other literature.
The NHS has previously reported that, based on a 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey, around 51% of people report low levels of dental anxiety, with 12% reporting anxiety that could be considered “phobic”.
This research builds upon commonly accepted understandings of the causes of dental fear, and may aid management in future for many patients, ensuring they receive high quality care without delay.
>Since you’re here, why not read about dental professionals are prioritising work-life balance?
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