Real-life dental examination elicits physiological responses different to visual and auditory dental-related stimuli.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous studies on dental anxiety have examined the psychophysiological responses evoked in dentally anxious subjects by dental-related stimuli, but not during a real-life dental examination, which was achieved in the present study.

Methods

The heart rate, skin conductance level, and heart rate variability of 25 subjects with dental anxiety and 25 healthy controls were examined. Anxiety was determined by the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and the Dental Anxiety Scale-Revised. The psychophysiological reactions of the two groups were compared during exposure to dental-related pictures, dental-related sounds, and an actual examination in a dental surgery.

Results

All the dental-related stimuli provoked an increase in heart rate, i.e. visual stimuli (p<0.001; 9

SUBMITTER: Kosir T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8174713 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature