IADR Abstract Archives
Efficacy of an Online CBT Intervention for Dental Anxiety
Objectives:
Dental anxiety is a common and potentially distressing problem, for both patients and health care providers. Anxiety has been identified as a barrier to regular dental visits and as an important target for enhancement of oral health–related quality of life. The study aimed to evaluate an online cognitive-behavioral therapy dental anxiety intervention that could be easily implemented in dental health care settings.
Methods: A 1-hour online cognitive behavioral protocol based on psychoeducation, exposure to feared dental procedures, and cognitive restructuring was developed. A randomized controlled trial was conducted (N = 499) to test its efficacy. Consenting adult dental patients who met inclusion criteria (e.g., high dental anxiety) were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: dental assistants assisted treatment-G1 (n =167), psychologists assisted treatment-G2 (n =162), or control-G3 (n =170). Mixed models based on per protocol analyses were used to compare the 3 groups on dental anxiety, fear, and avoidance at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Results: Baseline scores were entered into the analyses as covariates. Groups were equivalent at baseline but differed at 1, 3, 6 and 12-months follow-up. Both G1 and G2 showed improvement in scores, with significant differences in dental anxiety, in favor of G1 at 6 (p=0.008) and 12-months only (p=0.009). In addition, there were no significant differences in dental anxiety scores when the dental arm (G1) was compared to the psychology arm (G2) at any data point (p>0.05).
Key Words: dental phobia, dental fear,cognitive behavioral therapy, efficacy, psychoeducation.
Conclusions: An online tool seems to be efficacious in reducing dental anxiety when compared to a control and equally equivalent if administered by dental assistants or psychologists in an urban sample of low-income patients attending dental treatment in a school setting (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03680755).
Dental anxiety is a common and potentially distressing problem, for both patients and health care providers. Anxiety has been identified as a barrier to regular dental visits and as an important target for enhancement of oral health–related quality of life. The study aimed to evaluate an online cognitive-behavioral therapy dental anxiety intervention that could be easily implemented in dental health care settings.
Methods: A 1-hour online cognitive behavioral protocol based on psychoeducation, exposure to feared dental procedures, and cognitive restructuring was developed. A randomized controlled trial was conducted (N = 499) to test its efficacy. Consenting adult dental patients who met inclusion criteria (e.g., high dental anxiety) were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: dental assistants assisted treatment-G1 (n =167), psychologists assisted treatment-G2 (n =162), or control-G3 (n =170). Mixed models based on per protocol analyses were used to compare the 3 groups on dental anxiety, fear, and avoidance at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Results: Baseline scores were entered into the analyses as covariates. Groups were equivalent at baseline but differed at 1, 3, 6 and 12-months follow-up. Both G1 and G2 showed improvement in scores, with significant differences in dental anxiety, in favor of G1 at 6 (p=0.008) and 12-months only (p=0.009). In addition, there were no significant differences in dental anxiety scores when the dental arm (G1) was compared to the psychology arm (G2) at any data point (p>0.05).
Key Words: dental phobia, dental fear,cognitive behavioral therapy, efficacy, psychoeducation.
Conclusions: An online tool seems to be efficacious in reducing dental anxiety when compared to a control and equally equivalent if administered by dental assistants or psychologists in an urban sample of low-income patients attending dental treatment in a school setting (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03680755).