6.3 Levels Of Response To Fear And Anxiety
6.3 Levels of response to fear and anxiety
Scott and Kirschman state that 8-15% of the population has a phobia of dental treatments and the dental office. However, the other 85-90% still exhibit fear and anxiety before or during a dental visit although they are not phobic.
The levels of response to fear and anxiety are different in normal and abnormal patients.
Normal Patients
There are 3 levels of response to fear and anxiety among normal patients.
1. Intellectual level of response
In this case, the patient is ready to accept and face the difficulties in order to achieve the benefits of the treatment simply to decrease pain or get rid of a disease.
2. Emotional level
It can be divided into physiologic and psychological significance. They …show more content…
Hedonic is the third and lowest level of response. These patients are only concerned with the self, by accepting what is pleasant for them and rejecting what they find uncomfortable or unpleasant without thinking about the outcome or nature of the treatment.
Abnormal Patients
In the abnormal patients, we can find similar reactions composed of the same elements. However, there are certain distortions and changes in tone and value which make it completely different from normal. These patients have emotional conflicts which are caused by dental situations that are unresolved on many of these levels. The patient is not able to either accept or reject them. They will remain in a state of tension or confusion.
Intellectual Level
These patients know that their attitudes are unreasonable, but they cannot cope with their problem without any help. They usually go to the dentist only when the pain is so severe that it becomes unbearable. During that period of pain, they appear to be well and are able to deal with the urgent demands of pain relief. Their preoccupation with the pain or disease brings them as close to their own personality as possible, by the pressing problems of reality.
Emotional Level
On an emotional level, patients show varying types of responses to …show more content…
These conditions comprise of several different dimensions, including cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physiological components. Furthermore, dental anxiety and fear are associated with a range of aversive health consequences. Several indices have been developed to measure dental anxiety and fear.
The Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C) is a theoretically derived test that has been developed to allow dentists and researchers to measure a person’s level of dental fear.
Measuring dental fear is important because of its high prevalence and appreciable individual, clinical, and public health consequences but the existing measures of dental anxiety and fear (DAF) have theoretical or practical limitations.
The IDAF-4C+ has three modules which measure [2]:
1. The four components of dental fear (IDAF-4C)
(1) Emotional component
(2) Behavioural component
(3) Physiological component
(4) Cognitive
Scott and Kirschman state that 8-15% of the population has a phobia of dental treatments and the dental office. However, the other 85-90% still exhibit fear and anxiety before or during a dental visit although they are not phobic.
The levels of response to fear and anxiety are different in normal and abnormal patients.
Normal Patients
There are 3 levels of response to fear and anxiety among normal patients.
1. Intellectual level of response
In this case, the patient is ready to accept and face the difficulties in order to achieve the benefits of the treatment simply to decrease pain or get rid of a disease.
2. Emotional level
It can be divided into physiologic and psychological significance. They …show more content…
Hedonic is the third and lowest level of response. These patients are only concerned with the self, by accepting what is pleasant for them and rejecting what they find uncomfortable or unpleasant without thinking about the outcome or nature of the treatment.
Abnormal Patients
In the abnormal patients, we can find similar reactions composed of the same elements. However, there are certain distortions and changes in tone and value which make it completely different from normal. These patients have emotional conflicts which are caused by dental situations that are unresolved on many of these levels. The patient is not able to either accept or reject them. They will remain in a state of tension or confusion.
Intellectual Level
These patients know that their attitudes are unreasonable, but they cannot cope with their problem without any help. They usually go to the dentist only when the pain is so severe that it becomes unbearable. During that period of pain, they appear to be well and are able to deal with the urgent demands of pain relief. Their preoccupation with the pain or disease brings them as close to their own personality as possible, by the pressing problems of reality.
Emotional Level
On an emotional level, patients show varying types of responses to …show more content…
These conditions comprise of several different dimensions, including cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physiological components. Furthermore, dental anxiety and fear are associated with a range of aversive health consequences. Several indices have been developed to measure dental anxiety and fear.
The Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C) is a theoretically derived test that has been developed to allow dentists and researchers to measure a person’s level of dental fear.
Measuring dental fear is important because of its high prevalence and appreciable individual, clinical, and public health consequences but the existing measures of dental anxiety and fear (DAF) have theoretical or practical limitations.
The IDAF-4C+ has three modules which measure [2]:
1. The four components of dental fear (IDAF-4C)
(1) Emotional component
(2) Behavioural component
(3) Physiological component
(4) Cognitive