A Study on Strategies for Managing Patients with Dental Anxiety and Dental Phobia

A phobia is an excessive or irrational fear and reaction to something, a situation, or someone. Dentophobia means fear of the dentist and is used in two different meanings. Fear of the dentist is one of the uses of this term and it is used when the person in question is afraid of even dealing with the dentist. Another meaning of this word is the fear of dental procedures and everything related to the dental treatment process in the clinic. Dentophobia and fear of dentistry prevent people from going to dental clinics. In general, dentophobia, also known as fear of the dentist, is an excessive anxiety and fear reaction to dental treatments. People with dentophobia may feel intense anxiety about visiting the dentist or even thinking about dental treatments. This fear can be accompanied by unwanted physiological reactions such as heart palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath and body tremors. Various reasons can cause dentophobia in people. One of these reasons can be an unpleasant experience in childhood. For example, a painful or scary experience during dental treatment can cause doubt and fear in a person's mind. Also, witnessing some dental treatment processes can increase anxiety in people. Dentophobia can have a negative effect on the health of the mouth and teeth, because people with this fear may delay the necessary treatments to maintain their oral health. In addition, the lack of regular attendance at the dental office can lead to ignoring oral health problems and causing exacerbation of oral diseases. For dental professionals, it is important to treat dentophobic patients with sensitivity and respect. These people need reassurance and special attention so that they feel comfortable and confident during the treatment. There are various methods for managing dentophobia, including the use of sedatives, breathing techniques, and teaching methods to deal with fear, etc., which will be discussed in this article.

A Study on Strategies for Managing Patients with Dental Anxiety and Dental Phobia Keywords:

Dentist , Patient Management , Dental Anxiety , Dental Phobia , Dentophobia