2016 Volume 60 Issue 2 Pages 53-59
The aim of this study was to identify traumatic dental events that are related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. At a dental clinic, first-time visitors were given a questionnaire that asked patients to indicate whether they felt fear in different dental situations. Patients’ dental anxiety was assessed using the short version of the Dental Anxiety Inventory (S-DAI). Patients’ trauma from dental treatments was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Scores indicated that 16.5% of patients suffered from PTSD symptoms. A weak positive correlation was observed between S-DAI scores and IES-R scores. In a logistic regression analysis, “Not being able to get an anesthetic injection despite reporting pain during treatment” had independent effects on the PTSD symptom group. Our results suggest that a past experience with a dentist who denied a patient’s appeal for additional local anesthesia is related to the patient’s PTSD symptoms about dental treatment.
