‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children
Dental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid ‘message to dentist’ (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. De...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Dentistry Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/7/3/69 |
| _version_ | 1798002820107993088 |
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| author | Helen Rodd Laura Timms Fiona Noble Sarah Bux Jenny Porritt Zoe Marshman |
| author_facet | Helen Rodd Laura Timms Fiona Noble Sarah Bux Jenny Porritt Zoe Marshman |
| author_sort | Helen Rodd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid ‘message to dentist’ (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. Dentally anxious children, aged 9−16 years, were invited to complete the MTD proforma, before and following their course of treatment. They scored how worried they were and their anticipated pain levels on a scale of 1−10 (10 being the worst outcome). They also wrote down their coping plans and post-treatment reflections. One hundred and five children, from a UK general dental practice and a hospital clinic, were included. They had a mean age of 11.6 years, and 65% were female. There was a significant reduction in self-report worry (from 4.9 to 2.1) and anticipated pain (from 5.1 to 2.0) scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05, paired <i>t</i>-test). Many children (30%) used listening to music/audiobook as a coping strategy. Thematic analysis revealed concerns around pain, uncertainty, errors and specific procedures. The MTD proforma proved an effective means of facilitating communication between anxious children and the dental team, allowing them to identify their worries and make personalised coping plans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:58:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f1ab6eeb4794091a7baf7fdedca9fd8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-6767 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:58:19Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Dentistry Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f1ab6eeb4794091a7baf7fdedca9fd82022-12-22T04:25:01ZengMDPI AGDentistry Journal2304-67672019-07-01736910.3390/dj7030069dj7030069‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious ChildrenHelen Rodd0Laura Timms1Fiona Noble2Sarah Bux3Jenny Porritt4Zoe Marshman5School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TA, UKDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry, Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Sheffield S10 2SZ, UKDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry, Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Sheffield S10 2SZ, UKClapton Dental Practice, London E5 0LH, UKDepartment of Psychology, Sociology and Politics, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKSchool of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TA, UKDental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid ‘message to dentist’ (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. Dentally anxious children, aged 9−16 years, were invited to complete the MTD proforma, before and following their course of treatment. They scored how worried they were and their anticipated pain levels on a scale of 1−10 (10 being the worst outcome). They also wrote down their coping plans and post-treatment reflections. One hundred and five children, from a UK general dental practice and a hospital clinic, were included. They had a mean age of 11.6 years, and 65% were female. There was a significant reduction in self-report worry (from 4.9 to 2.1) and anticipated pain (from 5.1 to 2.0) scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05, paired <i>t</i>-test). Many children (30%) used listening to music/audiobook as a coping strategy. Thematic analysis revealed concerns around pain, uncertainty, errors and specific procedures. The MTD proforma proved an effective means of facilitating communication between anxious children and the dental team, allowing them to identify their worries and make personalised coping plans.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/7/3/69dental anxietycommunication toolpaediatric dentistrycognitive behavioural therapy |
| spellingShingle | Helen Rodd Laura Timms Fiona Noble Sarah Bux Jenny Porritt Zoe Marshman ‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children Dentistry Journal dental anxiety communication tool paediatric dentistry cognitive behavioural therapy |
| title | ‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children |
| title_full | ‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children |
| title_fullStr | ‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children |
| title_short | ‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children |
| title_sort | message to dentist facilitating communication with dentally anxious children |
| topic | dental anxiety communication tool paediatric dentistry cognitive behavioural therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/7/3/69 |
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