• Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.89-95
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• 2023

Social phobia is a mental disorder that triggers physical reactions, such as cold sweats, headaches, and panic attacks, as a result of anxiety about a particular situation. Individuals with social phobia are thought to be more sensitive to dental anxiety and may have difficulty visiting the dentist as a result. This study aimed to determine the relationship between social phobia and dental fear among college students, who are reported to have a high prevalence of social phobia. A total of 120 survey responses were analyzed. To investigate the variation in dental fear levels based on the level of social phobia, the total social phobia score was divided into two groups: 41 points or more, and 40 points or less. The disparity in dental fear scores was then analyzed using a t-test. The study found that the average score for dental fear was statistically significantly higher in the group with a total social phobia score of 41 points or more compared to the group with a total score of 40 points or less (p<0.05). Furthermore, the group that scored 41 points or higher on the social phobia scale reported experiencing symptoms such as feeling nauseous at the dentist (3.29 points), sweating upon entering the dentist (3.13 points), and feeling afraid when looking at the dentist (3.13 points). The score was high (p<0.05). Therefore, dental patients exhibiting anxiety symptoms require a comfortable treatment environment to alleviate dental fear, and safe, pain-free dental treatment techniques must be employed.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 2014

We experienced a case of dental treatment under general anesthesia in a 22-year-old female patient with dysphagia and dental phobia following partial glossectomy. She was diagnosed of squamous cell carcinoma of tongue and received surgical, radiation treatment two years ago. We report the experiences of anesthetic management for dental treatment in a patient with dysphagia and dental phobia following partial glossectomy.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.369-376
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• 2021

In adult patients with dental phobia, dental treatment may be difficult, or may not be possible. Depending on the level of fear or anxiety, non-pharmacological or pharmacological behavior management techniques are used in the dental treatment of such patients. Among the pharmacological behavior management techniques, minimal sedation, that is, the lowest depth of sedation, can be easily obtained in adult patients using oral sedatives, does not require special equipment or tools, and does not affect ventilatory and cardiovascular function. Diazepam is an anxiolytic drug belonging to the benzodiazepine family that, in addition to relieving anxiety, produces muscle relaxation, and is a representative drug used in adult patients with fear of dental treatment. Herein, we report the case of a 50-year-old woman with severe dental fear who successfully underwent long-term dental treatment in approximately 20 visits with minimal sedation using oral diazepam. In addition, we reviewed the considerations for the use of benzodiazepines for minimal sedation.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.209-213
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• 2010

Anxiety and fear is two main factors that keep patients from going to dental clinic. Especially, patients may feel implants operations are more traumatic. Intravenous conscious sedation for dental treatment can make patient comfortable and relaxable. Midazolam is more popular for sedation for dental treatment, but target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol and remifentanil is gaining wide popularity. A 54-year-old female patient who had severe dental phobia was referred to our dental hospital. She had past history of 2 times of hyperventilation and syncope during dental treatment. The patient showed a lot of dental anxiety and fear to dental treatments and stress reduction protocol was needed. We administered intravenous conscious sedation using target controlled infusion system with remifentanil and propofol. During sedation, we monitored the status of consciousness with bispectral index and vital signs. Dental treatment could be finished successfully without any problems.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.172-176
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• 2011

For dental treatment of children with severe dental phobia, sedation or general anesthesia is usually selected for enhancement of cooperation. But in the case of mouth opening limitation due to temporomandibular disorders, general anesthesia administration is a challenge for anesthesiologist. Because airway management failure was concerned, awake fibroscopic intubation is selected first. But, skillful fibroscopic intubation is not easy in case of uncooprative children patients. In this report, we present two cases of pediatric patients with mouth opening limitation. In the first case, the patient was 52 months old and the maximum opening distance was 1.2 cm, and in the second case the patient was 38 months old and the maximum opening distance was 1.5 cm. Both patients showed severe dental phobia. After sevoflurane inhalation without any intravenous drug, we successfully performed intubation using a fibroscope.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.398-404
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• 2013

Apprehension and phobia regarding dental procedures are represent the most common deterrents in patients seeking dental care and very common. For these individuals, and others who cannot cooperate during care, procedural sedation may permit completion of intraoral procedures. In most cases, the level of sedation may be kept at minimal to moderate levels permitting patient maintenance of their airway patency and ventilation. Unlike many medical procedures, the majority of dental procedures, no matter the depth of sedation, are performed in the presence of complete analgesia provided by local anesthesia. Therefore, the goal of procedural sedation is to primarily suppress patient fear and apprehension and gain cooperation. Any issues regarding actual pain are usually limited to that produced by the local anesthetic injections or, rarely, the extent of the procedure. For the extremely phobic patient, however, allaying apprehension may be very challenging. Intravenous titration of sedative drugs is the most effective route of administration to achieve this goal but requires advanced training beyond that provided in undergraduate training.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

Posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) is a psychiatric illness that results from exposure to serious threats of injury or death. In addition, dental phobia, which is suggested as a sub-threshold form of PTSD, may result from aversive or painful dental treatment. Patients with PTSD may present greater dental and behavioral challenges than other patients due to their mental illness, neglect of oral hygiene, and their medication. Dentists have to consider the challenges to provide these patients with proper dental treatment.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.203-208
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• 2016

Background: In South Korea, the number of cases of dental treatment for the disabled is gradually increasing, primarily at regional dental clinics for the disabled. This study investigated pediatric patients at a treatment clinic for the disabled within a university hospital who received dental treatment under general anesthesia. This data could assist those that provide dental treatment for the disabled and guide future treatment directions and new policies. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of 263 cases in which patients received dental treatment under general anesthesia from January 2011 to May 2016. The variables examined were gender, age, reason for anesthesia, type of disability, time under anesthesia, duration of treatment, type of procedure, treatment details, and annual trends in the use of general anesthesia. Results: Among pediatric patients with disabilities who received dental treatment under general anesthesia, the most prevalent age group was 5-8 years old (124 patients, 47.1%), and the primary reason for administering anesthesia was dental anxiety or phobia. The mean time under anesthesia was $132.7{\pm}77.6min$, and the mean duration of treatment was $101.9{\pm}71.2min$. The most common type of treatment was restoration, accounting for 158 of the 380 treatments performed. Conclusions: Due to increasing demand, the number of cases of dental treatment performed under general anesthesia is expected to continue increasing, and it can be a useful method of treatment in patients with dental anxiety or phobia.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2016

Anxiety and phobia in dental procedures are common deterrents for patients visiting the dental care unit. For these individuals, procedural sedation may aid in completion of dental treatments. In most cases, the patients are conscious during sedation, thereby allowing spontaneous ventilation. Intravenous sedation (IVS) is widely used during dental treatment to relieve patient anxiety. IVS is the most effective route of administration to achieve this goal, but it requires advanced training, more than that provided during undergraduate education. During IVS, rapid onset, repetitive drug administration, easy titration, and rapid recovery from sedation can be achieved. However, conscious sedation during IVS can result in deep sedation that can cause respiratory and cardiovascular depression. Therefore, the characteristics of intravenous sedatives should be known. The purpose of this review is to discuss the characteristics and usage of intravenous sedatives currently used for dental procedures.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.639-646
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• 2004

Dental phobia is the most prevalent fear in all age groups, across gender, and in all countries. One of the primary identified sources is the fear of dental injections in the dental phobia or the high dental fear and anxiety groups. The purpose of this study was to clinically evaluate the computer controlled anesthetic device and to compare it with traditional methods of dental anesthetic delivery. Fifty(mean age : 25.6 yrs) systemically and periodontally healthy volunteers participated in this study. The subjects were given contralateral buccal and palatal injections. One side was injected with the computer-controlled anesthetic device with a microprocessor and an electric motor to precisely regulate flow rate during administration : The experimental group. The control side was injected with a standard manual syringe, in which flow rate and pressure are operator-dependent and can't be controlled accurately : The control group. The subjects described their perceived pain experiences with two subjective scales. The results of this study were as follows: 1. The computer-controlled anesthetic device was significantly less painful than conventional syringe injection 2. The female subjects reported more pain than the male subjects. But, there were no statistical differences. 3. The anesthetic effect of both methods did not show any difference. In this study, it may be concluded that pain levels decreased significantly when the computer-controlled anesthetic device was used.