Premium
Dental fear in adults: a meta‐analysis of behavioral interventions
Author(s) -
Kvale Gerd,
Berggren Ulf,
Milgrom Peter
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2004.00146.x
Subject(s) - medicine , anxiety , dental fear , psychological intervention , attendance , meta analysis , specific phobia , dental clinic , clinical psychology , dentistry , psychiatry , anxiety disorder , economics , economic growth
– Objectives: The aim of this meta‐analytic and systematic quantitative approach is to examine the effects of behavioral interventions for dental anxiety and dental phobia. Methods: Eighty studies were identified where dental fear treatment with behavioral methods was evaluated. Thirty‐eight of 80 met entry criteria and were included in a meta‐analysis. Results: The calculated effect sizes (ESs) for self‐reported anxiety after intervention indicate positive changes in 36 of the 38 studies and no changes in two. The overall ES = 1.8 (95% CI: 1.6, 1.8). The percent of subjects with post‐treatment dental visits in the first 6 months post‐treatment varied between 50 and 100%. The overall ES for attendance at dental visits, weighted by sample size, is 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3, 1.6). The homogeneity analysis indicates that the studies cannot be adequately described in one ES. The reported percentage of subjects with a dental visit between 6 months and 4 years post‐treatment varied from 48 to 100%. The overall weighted ES for visiting the dentist, adjusted for drop‐outs in the studies, is 1.2 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.4). Conclusions: Despite extensive heterogeneity, changes in self‐reported anxiety represent medium to large ESs. Patients signing up for a behavioral intervention for dental fear can be expected to report a significant reduction in their fear, and this effect generally seems to be lasting. Mean long‐term attendance (>4 years after treatment) is 77%.