Evaluation of dentists' needs regarding treatment of the anxious patients

BACKGROUND: With regard to the management of dental anxiety in the General Dental Practice it has been shown that dental practitioners are well placed to treat adults with mild forms of dental anxiety. However, little is known about the specific use of anxiety management techniques being used in General Dental Practice. AIM: To determine the views and experiences of qualified dentists in their current use of anxiety management techniques, undergraduate and post-graduation training in these techniques and future training needs. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to a sample of GDPs working across the Midlands region (n=750). Dentists were randomly selected using lists provided by the Primary Care Trusts for each locality. RESULTS: The response rate was 73% (n = 550). Of these, 90 were not included in the final analysis due to exclusion criteria set prior to questionnaire release. This left 460 questionnaires for analysis. Eighty-five percent agreed that dentists had a responsibility to help dentally anxious patients (n=391). Dentists were asked their reasons for not using anxiety management techniques in practice. Psychological techniques, sedation (oral, Inhalation, or Intravenous) and hypnosis were reported as not having been used due to the lack of time available in practice, a lack of confidence in using these techniques and the lack of fees available under the NHS regulations Also, 91% reported feeling stressed when treating anxious patients. When asked about the quality of teaching they had received (undergraduate & postgraduate), 65% considered that the teaching was less than adequate in the use of psychological methods. Whereas, 44% indicated that they would be interested in further training in psychological methods if financial support was available. CONCLUSION: Developing further training in managing the dentally anxious patient is supported by dentists' lack of confidence and inadequate training.