2019 Volume 53 Issue 1 Pages 89-94
We investigated changes in the levels of anxiety and stress during dental treatment in patients with a gagging reflex (GR) who were scheduled to receive intravenous sedation. The Y‐G personality test (Y-G) was performed at the first examination, and STAI anxiety (STAI) was measured before and after treatment. Salivary amylase (sAMY) was measured using a salivary amylase monitor and salivary cortisol sCOR was measured using a Cortisol Enzyme Immunoassay Kit before, during and after treatment. The Y‐G revealed no characteristic personality for the GR patients. Based on the results of the A-state, sAMY, and sCOR measurements, anxiety and stress were reduced during dental treatment under intravenous sedation. Nonetheless, the values measured before each treatment did not change with an increase in the frequency of treatment. This suggests that although dental treatment under intravenous sedation is useful for reducing anxiety and stress during treatment, the anxiety and stress prior to the dental treatment were not reduced. It may be necessary to perform concomitant cognitive behavioral therapy applying an anxiety hierarchy and respondent conditioning to manage the dental care of GR patients and to facilitate their dental home care. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2019; 53: 89‐94)
