The effectiveness of a diagnostic interview and modified one‐session treatment for dental anxiety in primary dental care—A pilot study

Aims: To investigate the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral intervention that included either a diagnostic interview (DI) or a DI combined with modified one-session treatment (M-OST) for dental anxiety among adults in a primary care setting. Methods and results: Nineteen participants were assigned to either a DI before conventional dental treatment (group T1) or DI and M-OST (group T2). The severity of dental anxiety was measured with three self-reported measures before and after the intervention: the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C), and the Visual Analogue Scale-Anxiety (VAS-A). Dental care attendance was enquired in a 1-year follow-up. The scores for all three scales decreased among both study groups, with the largest decrease recorded in treatment group T1 assessed with the VAS-A. A higher dental anxiety score measured before the intervention associated most significantly with a higher dental anxiety score after the intervention. At the 1-year follow-up, 82% of participants in T1 and 67% in T2 had visited a dentist. Conclusion: A DI alone and combined with M-OST is potentially effective in reducing dental anxiety and in supporting the engagement of adult patients with dental treatment in primary dental care.