Ann Pain Med | Volume 1, Issue 1 | Review Article | Open Access

Pain and Anxiety in Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Focusing on the Relation between Pain and Anxiety

Eiji Sakamoto* and Takeshi Yokoyama

Department of Dental Anesthesiology, Kyushu University, Japan

*Correspondance to: Eiji Sakamoto 

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Abstract

Pain is unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with tissue damage, and classified into nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain and their combination. It is difficult to treat chronic neuropathic pain more than acute nociceptive pain. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness or unease, which is caused by imminent events or something with an uncertain outcome, and related with pain sensation. Dental anxiety is still prevalent, despite advances in treatment, and affects the utilization of health care services. Painful experience increases the degree of anxiety, which enhances pain sensation and changes it to refractory chronic pain. Dental phobia is categorized specific phobia, and recognized a severe anxiety disorder. Intravenous sedation is useful to reduce anxiety, and often required for patients with dental phobia. In dentistry and oral maxillofacial surgery, painful experiences increase anxiety and/or fear morbidly, and make dental treatment difficult. On the other hand, control of anxiety is useful to prevent developing chronic pain from postoperative pain. Dentists should consider controlling not only pain but also anxiety.

Citation:

Sakamoto E, Yokoyama T. Pain and Anxiety in Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Focusing on the Relation between Pain and Anxiety. Annals Pain Med. 2018;1(1):1002.

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