Efficiency of Cognitive Technique in Reducing Dental Anxiety

Abstract The anxiety experience in the dentist's office is one of the main barriers that prevent patients from using dental services; therefore a specific strategy is needed. The aim was to determine the efficiency of cognitive technique in reducing dental anxiety. The hypothesis is that the use of cognitive restructuring for phobic dental patients will determine a significant decrease of anxiety level. Participants were 40 patients of a dental clinic in Bucharest (MDAS≥13). Anxious reactions were assessed with MDAS and DFS. After using the cognitive technique, the anxiety level decreased significantly both for the global anxiety index and for its components.