Dental anxiety reduction: physical touch and weighted lead vest

Dental anxiety is considered the negative emotional state produced by the psychological response to uncomfortable or unpleasant stimuli. Individuals who suffer from dental anxiety tend to avoid seeking dental treatment. This often results in dental issues that lead to symptom-driven treatment which in turn increase the patients’ level of dental anxiety. A shoulder touch from a registered dental assistant (RDA) during the administration of local anesthetic for erupted third molar extractions is predicted to decrease anxiety more than a lead vest worn during administration. Participants will be randomly assigned into one of three conditions. The control group will have no intervention applied, the dentist (DDS) and RDA will proceed through administration of local anesthetic as they normally do within their practice. Participants in experiment group 1 will receive a moderate pressure shoulder touch by the RDA while the DDS is administering the anesthetic. Experimental group 2 will wear a lead vest during the administration of local anesthetic. All groups will be assessed pre and post-op using the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) to determine if the experimental groups have lower dental anxiety compared to the control group. It is predicted that physical touch will reduce anxiety in dental patients more than those in the control and lead vest groups. If the results demonstrate there is a greater reduction in anxiety with physical touch, an inexpensive and simple way to help decrease dental anxiety in patients will be identified.   Faculty Mentor: Sean Rogers Department: Psychology (Honours