Assessment of patients with phobic dental anxiety.

• This study investigated a screening procedure for psychologic distress in adult patients with dental phobia before treatment of dental fear. The screening procedure was performed among 191 individuals in consecutive steps and included a medical/dental history, psychologic interviewing, and testing. Data collected during this process were analyzed and compared with SCL-90(R) data. The screening process was successful in selecting individuals without major psychologic distress problems. Among the excluded patients 91% had general symptoms scores on the SCL-90(R) exceeding a normative population mean, and 95% of included patients had a mean lower than an average for psychiatric outpatients. There were statistically significant differences between included and excluded patients on all subdimensions of the SCL-90. Thus, excluded patients had higher levels of psychologic distress, poorer psychosocial background, and more psychosomatic symptoms. This was accompanied by higher levels of negative attitudes toward dentists and their performance of dentistry, whereas no significant differences were found among the dental fear measures used.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adult

Analysis of Variance

Attitude to Health

Chi-Square Distribution

Dental Anxiety

psychology

Dental Care

psychology

Dentist-Patient Relations

Depression

psychology

Female

Hostility

Humans

Interview

Psychological

Male

Marital Status

Medical History Taking

Mental Disorders

diagnosis

Psychological Tests

Psychophysiologic Disorders

diagnosis

Questionnaires

Stress

Psychological

diagnosis

Adult

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)