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One‐ vs. five‐session treatment of intra‐oral injection phobia: a randomized clinical study
Author(s) -
Vika Margrethe,
Skaret Erik,
Raadal Magne,
Öst LarsGöran,
Kvale Gerd
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
european journal of oral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.802
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1600-0722
pISSN - 0909-8836
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0722.2009.00628.x
Subject(s) - anxiety , specific phobia , medicine , dental fear , significant difference , randomized controlled trial , phobic disorder , session (web analytics) , psychology , anxiety disorder , psychiatry , world wide web , computer science
The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of one and five sessions of treatment for intra‐oral injection phobia in 55 subjects fulfilling the DSM‐IV criteria for specific phobia. The subjects were randomly assigned to one or five sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) performed by dentists. Assessments included behavioural tests and self‐report instruments used pretreatment, post‐treatment, and at 1 yr of follow‐up. The dental anxiety scale (DAS), the injection phobia scale‐anxiety, and the mutilation questionnaires were applied. Mean avoidance duration of intra‐oral injections before treatment was 7.0 yr. The results showed that 89% of the subjects had received intra‐oral injections from a regular dentist during the 1‐yr follow‐up. The only significant difference between the one‐ and the five‐session groups was that the five‐session group reported less anxiety (as measured using the DAS) at 1 yr of follow‐up. It was concluded that both treatments performed by dentists specially trained in CBT have a significant treatment effect on the intra‐oral injection phobia.