Training dentally anxious children to cope

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Behavioral Therapy
• Anxiety Disorders

Background:

• Dental phobia is a common issue in school-aged children, impacting oral health.
• Effective, accessible interventions are needed for pediatric dental anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of exposure-based, multicomponent treatment for dental phobia in children.
• To evaluate various treatment conditions including coping-skills training and exposure therapy.

Main Methods:

• A school-based program delivered multicomponent treatment in three group sessions.
• Intervention included coping-skills training and exposure to a coping-model videotape.
• Compared against non-exposure coping-skills training, video-modeling, information groups, and a waiting list.

Main Results:

• Exposure-based, multicomponent treatment significantly reduced subjective anxiety.
• This approach was more effective than waiting-list, information, video-modeling, and non-exposure coping-skills training.
• No significant differences were observed in pulse or behavioral anxiety ratings across groups.

Conclusions:

• Exposure-based, multicomponent treatment is a relatively effective approach for reducing subjective anxiety in children with dental phobia.
• School-based delivery of this intervention offers a practical solution for pediatric dental anxiety.