PapersFlow Research Brief
Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques
Research Guide
What is Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques?
Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques refers to the study of dental anxiety prevalence, psychological factors, and management strategies, including the pharmacological considerations and efficacy of local anesthetics like articaine, and their effects on pain perception in dental patients.
This field encompasses 41,327 papers on dental anxiety in children, adolescents, and adults, along with strategies for fear management and behavioral interventions. Key aspects include the validation of pain scales for pediatric use and the development of anxiety measurement tools. Local anesthetics and their role in patient management address how anxiety influences pain perception and quality of life.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Dental Anxiety Scales
This sub-topic covers the development, validation, and application of psychometric scales like the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) for assessing dental fear levels. Researchers study their reliability across populations, cultural adaptations, and correlations with physiological responses.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dental Phobia
This sub-topic examines exposure therapy, systematic desensitization, and cognitive restructuring techniques tailored for dental phobia. Researchers investigate short-term and long-term outcomes, patient adherence, and integration with pharmacological aids.
Articaine vs Lidocaine in Local Anesthesia
This sub-topic compares the onset, duration, depth, and safety profiles of articaine and lidocaine in dental procedures. Researchers analyze efficacy in inferior alveolar nerve blocks, adverse events like paresthesia, and pharmacokinetic differences.
Anxiety Influence on Pain Perception
This sub-topic explores how anticipatory anxiety modulates nociceptive processing and hyperalgesia during dental treatments. Researchers use psychophysical measures, fMRI, and scales like Faces Pain Scale-Revised to quantify interactions.
Pediatric Dental Sedation Techniques
This sub-topic focuses on nitrous oxide, oral midazolam, and intranasal routes for managing child dental anxiety. Researchers evaluate safety, efficacy, recovery profiles, and behavioral outcomes in randomized controlled trials.
Why It Matters
Dental anxiety affects patient compliance and treatment outcomes in oral surgery and routine procedures, where effective anesthesia techniques reduce pain perception and improve quality of life. Hicks et al. (2001) validated the Faces Pain Scale – Revised, enabling accurate pediatric pain assessment with over 2006 citations, which supports tailored anesthesia in anxious children during procedures. Corah (1969) introduced the Dental Anxiety Scale, cited 1284 times, allowing clinicians to quantify anxiety levels and select appropriate local anesthetics or interventions, as seen in studies on articaine efficacy for adults with high fear.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Development of a Dental Anxiety Scale" by Corah (1969), as it provides the foundational tool for measuring dental anxiety, cited 1284 times, essential for understanding patient assessment before exploring anesthesia techniques.
Key Papers Explained
Corah (1969) "Development of a Dental Anxiety Scale" establishes anxiety measurement, which Hicks et al. (2001) "The Faces Pain Scale – Revised: toward a common metric in pediatric pain measurement" builds upon by validating pain assessment in anxious children (2006 citations). Van Meerbeek et al. (2004) "Buonocore memorial lecture. Adhesion to enamel and dentin: current status and future challenges." connects to procedural contexts where anxiety affects bonding and anesthesia efficacy (1655 citations), while Byström et al. (1985) "The antibacterial effect of camphorated paramonochlorophenol, camphorated phenol and calcium hydroxide in the treatment of infected root canals" (1006 citations) informs infection management alongside anxiety control.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research emphasizes pharmacological optimization of local anesthetics like articaine for anxious patients, with focus on pain perception integration from validated scales. No recent preprints or news indicate steady progress in behavioral and anesthetic combinations for quality-of-life improvements.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Faces Pain Scale – Revised: toward a common metric in pedi... | 2001 | Pain | 2.0K | ✕ |
| 2 | Buonocore memorial lecture. Adhesion to enamel and dentin: cur... | 2004 | PubMed | 1.7K | ✕ |
| 3 | Development of a Dental Anxiety Scale | 1969 | Journal of Dental Rese... | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 4 | The antibacterial effect of camphorated paramonochlorophenol, ... | 1985 | Dental Traumatology | 1.0K | ✕ |
| 5 | The bleaching of teeth: A review of the literature | 2006 | Journal of Dentistry | 943 | ✕ |
| 6 | Mechanisms of antimicrobial activity of calcium hydroxide: a c... | 1999 | International Endodont... | 942 | ✕ |
| 7 | Tooth colour: a review of the literature | 2003 | Journal of Dentistry | 902 | ✕ |
| 8 | Modern Endodontic Surgery Concepts and Practice: A Review | 2006 | Journal of Endodontics | 883 | ✕ |
| 9 | Laser-Tissue Interactions: Fundamentals and Applications | 2020 | — | 825 | ✕ |
| 10 | Experimental studies of the application of the Er:YAG laser on... | 1989 | Lasers in Surgery and ... | 807 | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dental Anxiety Scale?
The Dental Anxiety Scale, developed by Corah (1969), measures dental fear through a questionnaire assessing anticipatory anxiety before dental visits. It has been cited 1284 times and remains a standard tool for evaluating anxiety in adults. The scale helps dentists identify patients needing specific anesthesia or behavioral management.
How does the Faces Pain Scale – Revised assess pain in children?
The Faces Pain Scale – Revised by Hicks et al. (2001) revises the original FPS into a validated self-report metric for children's pain intensity using six faces. It underwent three studies for adaptation and validation, earning 2006 citations. This tool is essential for monitoring pain under anesthesia in anxious pediatric dental patients.
What pharmacological considerations apply to local anesthetics in dental anxiety?
Local anesthetics like articaine address dental anxiety by minimizing pain perception during procedures. Keywords highlight articaine efficacy and pharmacological factors in patient management. These techniques improve outcomes for patients with psychological barriers to treatment.
Why do psychological factors influence pain in dental settings?
Psychological factors such as fear amplify pain perception and reduce quality of life in dental patients. Behavioral interventions and anxiety scales help mitigate these effects. Studies link anxiety management to better adherence with anesthesia protocols.
What role do behavioral interventions play in managing dental anxiety?
Behavioral interventions target fear management in children and adults to complement anesthesia techniques. They address psychological factors influencing treatment acceptance. Evidence from anxiety scales supports their integration with local anesthetics for comprehensive care.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can dental anxiety scales be adapted for real-time use during anesthesia administration?
- ? What specific mechanisms link dental anxiety to altered pain perception under local anesthetics?
- ? Which combinations of behavioral interventions and articaine dosing optimize outcomes in pediatric patients?
- ? How do individual psychological factors predict responses to different local anesthetic formulations?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 41,327 works with keywords like articaine efficacy and psychological factors unchanged recently, as no preprints or news from the last 12 months report shifts.
Highly cited papers such as Hicks et al. (2001, 2006 citations) and Corah (1969, 1284 citations) continue to anchor studies on pain scales and anxiety measurement.
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