Visit to the dentist causes extreme fear and anxiety. By some estimates, 1 in 20 people is prone to a condition called odontophobia, manifested in a panic fear of dental treatment. Up to a third of patients report moderate concern about possible dental treatment, according to an online edition for girls and women aged 14 to 35 Pannochka. Net The authors of the study base their findings on the study of the response of patients from eight dental clinics.

Each of the patients was moderately or extremely concerned about the dental treatment for treatment according to the questionnaire - Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

All patients were aged 40 years and tried to cope with their problem for 2 to 30 years.

The BAI score was given before and after 5 minutes of acupuncture treatment with exposure to two specific acupuncture points (GV20 and EX6) at the top of the head.

Acupuncture was conducted by dentists, all of whom are members of the British Dental Society of Acupuncture.

The average BAI score to acupuncture was 26.5, after - fell to 11.5, and all 20 patients were able to undergo routine treatment, whereas earlier it was possible only in 6 cases out of 20, and only partially and after considerable effort, like From the dentist, and the patient.

The authors indicate that some attempts to overcome the anxiety of patients have been undertaken before, including the use of sedatives, relaxation techniques, behavioral therapy, biofeedback and hypnosis. Studies show that such techniques are not effective, also take a long time and require significant psychotherapeutic skills.

The authors of the technique report that further research is needed on the effects of acupuncture on dental admission, but suggest that acupuncture "can offer a simple and inexpensive method of treating" the anxiety of dental patients.

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