Description
A peer-reviewed article written by Lisa Dowst-Mayo, MHA, BSDH, RDH
Abstract
The American Dental Association reports 22% of adult Americans avoid the dentist due to fear and anxiety, which equates to one in five.1 Fifty-nine percent of Americans cite cost as the top reason they do not visit the dentist more frequently.1 Patient anxiety etiologically can be psychological, financial, physical, or a combination of these. The anxious patient presents with significant challenges to rendering care in the dental environment. This course takes a practical approach in the dental management of fearful, anxious, and/or phobic patients that can be incorporated into even the busiest of offices. Multimodal, evidence-based, nonpharmacological and pharmacological approaches to anxiety management are summarized to assist the dental practitioner in successfully treating these patients and improving their oral health and overall quality of life.
At the conclusion of this course, the dental practitioner will be able to:
- Incorporate an anxiety management plan that best fits their patient population.
- Identify dentally fearful, anxious, or phobic patients and apply correct management techniques.
- Provide more pleasant and relaxed appointments to improve both the patient and provider experience.
