A comparison of cognitive therapy, applied relaxation, and nitrous oxide sedation in the treatment of dental fear
Acta Odontologica ScandinavicaPublished 1 January 2001Open access
Tiril Willumsen, Olav Vassend, Asle Hoffart
Citations99
SJR quartileQ2
SJR score0.62
SNIP0.97
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TL;DR
Investigation of the short-term efficacy of cognitive therapy and applied relaxation in dental fear treatment and to compare these methods with conventional pharmacological sedation found no major differences between treatment methods.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term efficacy of cognitive therapy and applied relaxation in dental fear treatment and to compare these methods with conventional pharmacological sedation (nitrous oxide sedation). Patients (n = 65) with severe dental fear were randomly assigned to the different treatment methods and received 10 weekly sessions of individual therapy. Dropout rates were low, and all patients who completed the therapy sessions were able to receive dental treatment. Scores on dental fear tests were significantly reduced compared with pretreatment level for all treatment groups. There were no major differences between treatment methods in this short-term perspective.
Keywords
MedicineDentistryNeuroscience
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