Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dental Phobia and Anxiety

It is estimated that up to 15 per cent of the population in Western countries avoid dental care due to fear. Yet, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), a problem-focused psychological intervention that teaches patients skills for self-management of their anxiety, has proved to be a successful intervention for people with this phobia. Bringing together research from the fields of psychology and dentistry, this book is the first to describe evidence-based treatment of dental phobia using CBT. It helps professionals and students in dentistry to understand the complexity of the anxiety phenomenon and those in psychology to understand the specific situation of the dental phobia patient. The book includes chapters describing epidemiology, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, symptoms, clinical characteristics and consequences, and aetiology of dental phobia, as well as intra-oral injection phobia. It also covers dental treatment of fearful children and the use of conscious sedation and other pharmacological methods to supplement psychological treatment. The core of the book is built on research from Scandinavia, the world leader in dental phobia research, and the editors are experts in clinical psychology and dentistry. The Scandinavian contributions are augmented by chapters from noted authorities in the US and UK. It also demonstrates how to implement CBT principles for dental phobia and anxiety in one or more treatment sessions, using an adaptation of Lars-Göran Öst's pioneering single-session treatment for use in clinical or dental settings.