Identification and Management of Dental Anxiety by New Zealand Dentists

More than 1 in 8 New Zealand (NZ) adults are dentally anxious, which can lead to avoiding dental care and a higher risk of poor oral health. However, little is known about how dentally anxious patients are identified and managed by NZ general dentists. This survey aimed to investigate how NZ dentists identify and manage dentally anxious patients.

We conducted an email survey of NZ dentists in 2022, obtaining 212 responses. Along with demographic information, respondents were queried about whether they ask patients about past/current dental fears and their likely origin, how they assessed those fears, their usual management of dentally anxious patients, and how the management of dentally anxious patients could be improved.

Almost three-quarters reported personally asking patients about past and/or current dental fears, and half enquired about bad life experiences that had led to those fears. Only 6 respondents (2.8%) reported using a formal dental anxiety/phobia assessment tool prior to treatment. For managing severely anxious adult dental patients, all dentists used at least 1 pharmacologic or psychological technique or referral to a colleague.

The study identified several weaknesses among NZ dentists in identifying and managing dental anxiety patients. The use of formal dental anxiety/phobia assessment tools prior to treatment needs improvement. Addressing dental anxiety is a complex issue that requires a multipronged approach involving improved education, the development and implementation of better assessment tools, and a greater understanding of how dentists' current assessment and management of dental anxiety can be improved.