2018 Volume 39 Issue 4 Pages 432-437
Excessive fear（dental phobia：DP）and gag reflex（GR）experienced by patients during dental treatment may have negative effects on treatment. When providing dental care for patients with these disorders, various behavior control methods are used while taking into consideration their psychological factors. However, some patients discontinue treatment and their oral condition worsens. A survey was conducted involving DP or GR patients who had consulted the Department of Dentistry to examine their psychological factors and oral findings at the initial consultation. The results were as follows：
1. The psychological factors of all patients solely with GR could not be identified. The largest number of patients with solely DP had “fear of pain（53.6％）”, and “fear that gag reflex may be induced during dental treatment（92.0％）” was the most common psychological factor among patients with both DP and GR. These factors were associated with their uncomfortable experiences.
2. In comparison with the results of a national dental health survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the mean DMFT scores of DP and GR patients in the present survey were higher. The number of decayed teeth in particular was significantly higher among most of those DP and GR patients, excluding patients in their 70s, which suggests that their oral environment was poor.
3. Although approximately 70％ of the patients completed treatment, less than 40％ were under regular dental health management.
Dental care for DP or GR patients should be continued even after the completion of treatment. It is necessary to implement dental health management programs for these patients on a regular basis to address or reduce their psychological factors, maintain a healthy oral environment, and improve it while using desensitization approaches.
