Fear and anxiety of the dentist and dentistry in general have been shown to be important factors contributing to avoidance of dental treatment.
In fact, avoiding dental visits is considered to be the main consequence of dental anxiety and is considered to be the main barrier to regular oral health care. If you stop going to the dentist, a simple oral problem can develop into a serious condition that requires more specialised treatment over time. So there is no doubt that these types of emotions can affect the quality of life and impact on the psychological, physiological, social and emotional wellbeing of the person experiencing them. In addition, dental anxiety also creates stress during dental consultations, which can alter the patient's behaviour and even lead to the cancellation of appointments.
Dental anxiety can affect the lives of sufferers in many ways. The first is through the deterioration of oral health. The presence of dental anxiety is closely associated with a progressive deterioration in oral health in patients who tend to have a higher number of missing and decayed teeth and a lower number of treated or filled teeth. A greater number of periradicular lesions and bone loss were also observed in these patients. As a consequence of the deterioration of oral health, there is also a deterioration of general health, but also psychosocial consequences.
Dental anxiety is associated with cognitive and social impairment, aggression, tension, emotional instability, negative thoughts and pre-existing beliefs, which may be reinforced by experience or external comments. They also have low self-esteem, low self-confidence and shame. These can play a dual role, as a pre-existing cause and as consequences arising from feelings of low self-efficacy, blaming themselves for not being able to face the problem, or in relation to their state of oral health and poor aesthetics. Dental anxiety and fear can affect the person's quality of life or well-being, particularly through the aforementioned deterioration in oral health, leading to difficulty chewing, pain, recurrent infections, discomfort, digestive problems. . .
Sleep disturbances also occur, usually due to discomfort and episodes of pain, including emotional restlessness. In addition, it can have a significant impact on your daily life and on personal and professional relationships. To get rid of acute episodes of pain or infection, patients resort to medication, including self-medication, often excessively and irregularly. They also have poor hygiene, as they tend to show poorer oral hygiene, probably due to laziness or lack of information on the subject. The presence of poor oral health and negative emotions towards it would facilitate perpetuation of the cycle of oral health care neglect.
The patient avoids visiting the dentist even if they have been experiencing pain or difficulty in their daily life for a long time, and in severe cases, some patients state that they have never visited the dentist. Furthermore, these fears and anxieties also have consequences for work and education: Absenteeism from work and school due to painful, acute infectious diseases, sleep disorders, etc.
Noticias en salud - 8 February 2021
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