Catastrophizing, anxiety and pain during dental hygiene treatment.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the relations between catastrophizing, dental anxiety, and pain during dental hygiene treatment.

METHODS

Participants were 78 (32 men, 46 women) consecutive referrals to the Dalhousie University Dental Clinic. All patients were scheduled for a scaling procedure performed by senior dental hygiene students. Following treatment, patients completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Dental Anxiety Scale - Revised, and were asked to rate the degree of pain they experienced during the scaling procedure.

RESULTS

Regression analyses revealed that age and the rumination subscale of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale were significant predictors of pain, even when controlling for gender, and oral hygiene status.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that excessive focus on pain sensations may be one of the mechanisms by which catastrophizing leads to increased pain. The clinical challenges will be to develop cost- and time-effective means of identifying individuals who catastrophize and to implement interventions to reduce their level of distress.