Computerized Management of Dental Anxiety: A Feasibility Study With Predoctoral Dental Students

Objectives: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to reduce dental anxiety. These interventions are usually delivered face-to-face by highly trained personnel, which is not very feasible in a dental school/clinic setting. This project aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a previously developed computer-administered dental anxiety management program delivered by dental students.
Methods: Two junior dental students were trained in basic CBT concepts and the specifics of the computer program in order to deliver the intervention. Six dental patients at Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry (TUKSoD) who endorsed high dental anxiety on the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) participated. They were requested to come 1.5 hours before their scheduled dental appointment and received the intervention. Debriefing interviews were conducted after the intervention, immediately after the scheduled dental appointment, and at 1-month follow-up to assess satisfaction with the intervention and changes in MDAS. Dental students completed a brief survey assessing the feasibility of implementing the intervention.
Results: At 1-month follow-up the mean MDAS score for participants decreased from 20.0 ± 3.5 to 15.3 ± 6.7. Injection was the most often ranked as the most highly feared dental procedure, followed by extraction and drilling/having a cavity filled. Debriefing interviews revealed that participants found it more difficult to watch the video clips of most feared procedure than the lesser feared procedures. Almost all participants found the program to be at least somewhat helpful for getting through their dental appointment. In terms of administering the intervention, both dental students found it not at all difficult to explain the instructions and answer patients’ questions.
Conclusions: Dental students can be trained in CBT and were able to easily assist in the administration of the computer-based intervention without the need for highly specialized personnel.