1st Edition

Psychology and Dentistry Mental Health Aspects of Patient Care

By William Ayer, Jr. Copyright 2005
    162 Pages
    by Routledge

    162 Pages
    by Routledge

    Learn to build successful working relationships with your patients

    Psychology and Dentistry: Mental Health Aspects of Patient Care is a practical guide to an often-neglected aspect of dentistry-the contributions of the behavioral sciences to dental research and practice. Dr. William A. Ayer, Professor of Behavioral Sciences at Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, presents a comprehensive textbook that’s an essential study aid for students preparing for their National Dental Board Examinations and a valuable classroom resource for dental school faculty. This unique book identifies the everyday concerns of dentists, dental students, and dental hygienists, offering proven strategies for patient management and for building—and maintaining—a successful dentist-patient relationship.

    Psychology and Dentistry examines the contributions of the behavioral sciences to the practice of dentistry, drawing subject matter from a wide range of disciplines that include psychology, sociology, education, anthropology, economics, epidemiology, health services, and public health. The book is a practical guide to developing the necessary skills to conduct effective patient interviews, for teaching patients to manage their dental fears and anxieties, and for dealing with patients who need counseling from mental health professionals. It also addresses special issues that have become relevant to dentists and their staffs in recent years, including child abuse and neglect, spousal violence, elder abuse, aging and changes associated with age, death and dying, and bereavement.

    Psychology and Dentistry examines:

    • behavior therapies
    • behavioral interventions
    • management techniques for patients with acute and/or chronic pain
    • how to train patients to manage their oral habits
    • how to get patients to comply with health care recommendations
    • pain perception and pain expression
    • the therapeutic use of hypnosis
    • how to make psychological referrals for patients
    • the effect of stress on dentists and dental students
    • and much more!
    Psychology and Dentistry: Mental Health Aspects of Patient Care is an essential resource for anyone working in the dental field. The book’s practical approach and unique insights are invaluable for helping you develop healthy relationships with your patients.

    • About the Author
    • Contributors
    • Preface and Acknowledgments
    • Chapter 1. The Development of the Behavioral Sciences in Dentistry
    • Chapter 2. Behavioral Foundations of Dentistry
    • The Focus of Behavior Therapies
    • What Is Behavior Therapy?
    • Types of Behavioral Interventions
    • Chapter 3. Pain
    • Pain Threshold and Pain Expression
    • Measuring Pain
    • Acute versus Chronic Pain
    • Pain Management Strategies
    • Summary
    • Chapter 4. Fear and Anxiety in Dentistry
    • Effect of High Fear and Anxiety on Office Practice
    • Definition of Anxiety and Fear
    • Measurement of Dental Fear and Anxiety
    • Origins and Development of Fear and Anxiety
    • Anxiety and Behavior Across Dental Visits
    • Other Variables Influencing Anxiety and Fear
    • Managing Fear and Anxiety
    • Chapter 5. Oral Habits and Their Management
    • Etiology and Development of Thumb and Finger Sucking
    • Psychoanalytic and Learning Theory Models
    • Prevalence and Possible Explanations
    • Methods of Controlling Sucking Habits
    • Bruxism: Characteristics and Treatment
    • Self-Mutilating Behaviors: The Oral Cavity
    • Chapter 6. Compliance with Health Care Recommendations
    • Assessing Adherence
    • Determinants of Adherence
    • Resources and Noncompliant Behavior
    • Chapter 7. The Dentist-Patient Relationship
    • Models of the Doctor-Patient Relationship
    • Dimensions of the Doctor-Patient Relationship
    • Satisfaction Among Patients and Dentists
    • A Seeming Paradox
    • Miscellaneous Factors
    • Chapter 8. Stress in Dentistry
    • The Concept of Stress
    • Measuring Stresses in Life
    • Sources of Dentists’ Stress
    • Suicide Among Dentists
    • Stress in Dental Students
    • Chapter 9. Special Issues in Dentistry
    • Family Violence
    • Aging
    • Dying, Death, and Bereavement
    • Chapter 10. Hypnosis in Dentistry (Carla York, Frank De Piano, and Frederick Kohler)
    • Some Background and History of Hypnosis in Dentistry
    • Prevention of Dental Disease and Modifications of Noxious Habits
    • Therapeutic Uses of Hypnosis in Dentistry
    • Hypnosis As an Operative Aid in Dentistry
    • The Use of Hypnosis in Pediatric Dentistry
    • Hypnosis As an Aid in Patient Management
    • Practical Considerations
    • Techniques for Induction of Hypnosis in Dentistry: Some Illustrations
    • Case Example: A Dental-Avoidant Patient with Excessive Gag Reflex
    • Chapter 11. Interviewing (Cheryl Gotthelf)
    • Communication
    • Training Issues
    • Initial Meeting with a Patient
    • Attentiveness
    • Obtaining an Accurate History
    • Establishing Rapport
    • Empathy
    • Chapter 12. Making Psychological Referrals
    • Dental-Related Problems
    • Nondental-Related Referrals
    • Referrals for Self, Family, or Friends
    • Referring an Individual
    • Index
    • Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Jr., William Ayer