Psychologists May Aid Dental Health

Dentistry Today

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Psychologists may be beneficial in thwarting tooth decay.

They were recently utilized to encourage or persuade patients to brush their teeth. The results indicated that there was a 50-percent decrease in people needing first-time fillings and about a 40-percent lowering in the amount of people that needed to visit the dentist for pressing needs.

The study, which was conducted in Australia, could be extremely beneficial for those that suffer from dental anxiety and dental phobia. Anxiety is one of the major reasons why people don’t visit the dentist on a regular basis.

Professor Wendell Evans of Australia, who has made it his duty to curb tooth decay, came up with the scheme. Evans wants to open a no-drill clinic that will utilize various methods to increase the standards of oral health.

Behavioral management was used to convince patients to adapt their normal behavior in way that accounts for developing better oral hygiene. This same method benefitted the patients’ diets. According to the study, using psychologists in this matter may actually be more effective than more conventional dental methods.