Dental phobia

The dental anxiety, dental phobia also, dental phobia, phobia or Oral Odontophobie called, is a specific phobia. The exaggerated fear almost always leads to a year-long avoidance of dental treatments and is distinguished from the non-pathological dental anxiety.

Causes

Frequent but not the sole cause of dental anxiety are negative experiences. The learned fears can be directed against certain aspects of the dental treatment, such as a fear of injections.

Prevalence

Large-scale studies on the frequency of socially medically significant disturbance missing. Estimated to be affected about five to ten percent of the population of Western countries. On the relationship between " specific phobia " and "simple fear": Kvale et al. reported in 2002 on 70 consecutive patients at the Center for odontophobia the University of Bergen in Norway, of which 33 ( 47%) of the diagnostic criteria for a Odontophobie satisfied, 24 ( 33%) had only serious fears, while the rest received multiple diagnoses according to DSM -IV.

Prevention and treatment

Phobia as a treatment complication can already emphasize a corresponding anxiety -reducing atmosphere at the practice facility. For the diagnosis of anxiety, there are standardized questionnaires that are used in surgeries with this treatment focus. There, the patients are treated with a scientifically proven treatment plan. For example: sedative, anesthetic or with the appropriate qualification / training and hypnotic techniques are used, as is a special anti -anxiety Training ( AAT) for the treatment of phobia. Ultimately, the fear will be cured or improved as a mental illness just by psychotherapeutic treatment approaches. Through a treatment under general anesthesia no phobia can be cured, a restoration of all teeth is often not possible, as for example periodontally compromised teeth or root damage must be treated in multiple sessions.

Because general anesthesia is required only rarely leads can be the patient basically good helped by psychotherapy. There are different concepts depending on the therapeutic direction for Dentists ( Jöhren / maker / Mehrstedt ). A special training of dentists lead by the German Society of Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery ( DGZMK ) and the Institute for Psychosomatic Dentistry.

Reimbursement

Since the Statutory Health Insurance Funds Association recognizes the dental anxiety as a mental illness (ICD -10 F40.2 GM 2006 ), the health insurance companies cover the cost of a psychotherapy with a licensed psychotherapist or the cash supply contract physician. Dentists must not and can not provide psychotherapeutic services at the expense of health insurance. In Germany, only two dentists because of their double degree are also medical and psychotherapeutic active, able to provide services and the right to billing to health insurance companies.