title: Reducing patients' state anxiety in general dental practice: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Anxiety assessment by questionnaire provides information for the dentist and may also confer a psychological benefit on patients. This study tested the hypothesis that informing dentists about patients' dental anxiety prior to commencement of treatment reduces patients' state anxiety. A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving eight General Dental Practitioners in North Wales. Participants included patients attending their first session of dental treatment, and accumulating a score of 19 or above, or scoring 5 on any one question, of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Patients (n = 119) completed Spielberger's state anxiety inventory (STAI-S) pre- and post-treatment and were randomly allocated to intervention (dentist informed of MDAS score) and control (dentist not informed) groups. Intervention patients showed greater reduction in mean change STAI-S scores (F[1,119] = 8.74, P < 0.0001). Providing the dentist with information of the high level of a patient's dental anxiety prior to treatment, and involving the patient in this, reduced the patient's state anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Dental Sciences, The University of Liverpool, School of Dentistry, Liverpool, L69 3GN UK. Y.M.Dailey@liverpool.ac.uk
authors.forename: Y-M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Dailey
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Humphris
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lennon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003142:Communication; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008347:Manifest Anxiety Scale; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation