The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Improving Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety, the fifth ranks among common stressors, is a major cause of avoiding dental treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in improving dental anxiety in people referring certain dental clinics in Kermanshah City in 2022.                                                                                                                        

This quasi-experimental study had a pretest-posttest design with a control group. A total of 50 subjects were selected via purposive method from 2 dental clinics. Their treatment plan was at least 3 sessions. They were divided into 2 equal intervention and control groups. The intervention group received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy based on the protocol by Segal, Williams, and Teasdale in eight 60-minute sessions. Data collection tool was a dental anxiety inventory by Stouthard, Mellenbergh, and Hoogstraten. Data were analyzed by paired t-test.

There was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the post-test , which showed the effectiveness of MBCT in reducing dental anxiety (p<0.01).

MBCT significantly decreased dental anxiety. It is, thus, suggested to be used for clients before dental services.