Dental Anxiety Management in Clinical Dentistry

Dental anxiety represents a significant barrier to oral health, affecting patients across the lifespan and contributing to avoidance of care, deterioration of oral status and psychosocial distress. Management in clinical dentistry encompasses a spectrum of approaches, from behavioural and psychological strategies to pharmacological adjuncts and technological aids. Cognitive behavioural interventions aim to restructure maladaptive thoughts and gradually desensitise patients through controlled exposure to feared stimuli. Pharmacological methods, including short-acting anxiolytics and nitrous oxide sedation, provide rapid anxiolysis in acute situations. Advances in digital health have introduced internet-delivered therapies, virtual reality as a distraction or exposure tool and biofeedback devices to monitor physiological arousal. Integration of anxiety screening tools into routine practice ensures early identification of high-risk individuals and supports personalised care plans. Collaborative models involving psychologists, anaesthetists and dental professionals are proving effective, particularly in complex cases linked to psychological trauma. Globally, tailored interventions are being implemented to address cultural and socioeconomic determinants of dental fear, with an emphasis on accessible, evidence-based protocols that improve patient experience and clinical outcomes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Dental Anxiety Management in Clinical Dentistry publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dental anxiety management in clinical dentistry across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): A structured, evidence-based psychological treatment that modifies negative thought patterns and behaviours to alleviate anxiety.

Internet-Based CBT (ICBT): An online adaptation of CBT delivered through digital modules, often with therapist guidance, to increase accessibility.

State Anxiety: Transient fear or distress experienced in response to a specific situation, such as during a dental procedure.

Trait Anxiety: A stable predisposition to perceive a wide range of situations as threatening, leading to pervasive anxious feelings.

Dental Phobia: An intense, irrational fear of dental treatment that meets clinical criteria for a specific phobia and often results in complete avoidance of care.

Exposure Therapy: A behavioural technique in which patients are gradually and systematically exposed to anxiety-provoking stimuli to reduce fear responses.

References

1. Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children and Adolescents With Dental or Injection Phobia: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2024).
2. Interventions to reduce adult state anxiety, dental trait anxiety, and dental phobia: A systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Anxiety Disorders (2024).
3. Interdisciplinary CBT treatment for patients with odontophobia and dental anxiety related to psychological trauma experiences: a case series. BMC Psychiatry (2024).