DentaltownUK September 2017 - 83

Students

What Seems to Go
Unnoticed: Dental Anxiety
Among Dental Students
by Keshana Kuru,
BDS3 dental student at KCL

to pass an exam, but to incorporate them
into our day-to-day lives.
A study done in Bulgaria by the Medical
University of Poldiv clearly exhibited the
fact that first year dental students had much
higher mean dental anxiety scores than older
years (Kirova, 2011). This may be because
of the whole adjustment period and the fact
that older years have had extensive clinical
experience than the new dental students. It
also reinforces how dental anxiety incorporates
much larger concepts than what just meets
the eye, or what reaches the ear.
We are taught to be professional as
dentists, and to leave our personal lives
behind before entering our clinics. But I
guess sometimes, there are certain things
that cannot be simply repressed, and this
can induce anxiety among students during
dental procedures.
An anxious dental student may want to
end their day as soon as possible, which can
adversely affect their clinical performance,
as dentistry requires precision and time.
An anxious student may lose confidence in
themselves whilst undergoing the procedure.
An anxious student may even start to
show physical signs of fear such as having
an unsteady hand, or clammy palms. All of
this doesn't just affect the student's clinical
performance, but also endangers the patient
being treated. So why is dental anxiety in
dental students still considered a taboo?
Sometimes stress can be helpful in

order to push us to do our best, but when
we can't cope with the pressure, we start to
crumble under it. A recent study in Saudi
Arabia has shown us that students suffered
higher levels of anxiety and stress if their
exams were approaching.
It also showed that stress and anxiety
levels are positively correlated, but the
causative relationship is yet to be discovered.
Nevertheless, it has been proven that dental
anxiety among dental students can be reduced
if education and awareness during dental
procedures is enhanced.
If a student feels highly confident in what
they are doing, then the effects of anxiety
can be overcome for at least the duration of
the procedure. However, this comes with
acquired clinical experience and this is why
older dental students tend to have lower levels
of dental anxiety.
If anxiety is considered to be a "fear of
nothing", then how can a student possibly
manage to control their dental anxiety,
especially if they are afraid to confront it? One
way to minimise clinical anxiety could be to
cultivate a supportive learning environment,
in which the anxious student can master
their skills as well as having a good support
network to lean on in times of need.
However, the first step to dealing with
anxiety among students is to accept that they
suffer from it, and recognise that it needs to
be dealt with. To some extent, denial allows
a person to continue to function however, in
the case of a dental student, this is not enough.
We can often think that we are physically
functioning to an appropriate level, such as
putting on a brave face, but in actual fact, we

are probably not psychologically functioning
well enough to treat a patient to the best of
our abilities.
We sometimes just tend to see things
subjectively when it involves our own
behaviours (Nichols, 2010). Occasionally,
it is very useful to have another peer to talk
to, especially because they understand the
pressure we face.
Often dental anxiety can be eradicated
in the presence of consolation from another
dental student as it allows us to visualise
reality, as opposed to being trapped by our
own distorted cognitions.
One thing that is a major game changer
is the fact that we are not the only ones. 4 out
of every 10 university students have suffered
from anxiety (Mistler et al. 2011) and it often
helps to know that we are not alone; having
anxiety does not mean you are "abnormal"
from the rest of the population, it just means
we worry more than others which is totally
not abnormal. Eventually, we all will find
our own personalised coping mechanisms as
dental students... because we won't always
get to be students!
References:
1.
Brown, J. 2016, "Anxiety: The Most Common Mental Health
Diagnosis In College Students, BU Today, Boston University".
BU Today [Online]. Available at:http://www.bu.edu/
today/2016/college-students-anxiety-and-depression/ [Accessed:
25 May 2017].
2.
Kirova, D.G. 2011, "Dental anxiety among dental students".
Journal of IMAB- Annual Proceeding (Scientific Papers), book.
2, vol. 17, pp. 137-139.
3.
Nichols, M. 2010, "Denial: Why People Don't Get Treatment
For Anxiety - Anxiety, Panic & Health". Anxiety, Panic &
Health [Online]. Available at:http://anxietypanichealth.
com/2008/07/23/denial-why-people-dont-get-treatment-foranxiety/ [Accessed: 25 May 2017].
4.
Mistler, B.J., Reetz, R.R., Krylowicz, B., Barr. V. 2011,
"College students' mental health is a growing concern, survey
finds". American Psychological Association [Online]. Available
at:http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/06/college-students.aspx
[Accessed: 25 May 2017]

dentaltownuk.com \\ SEPTEMBER 2017

83


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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK September 2017

Cover
On Dentaltown.com
Editorial with Mike Gow
Meet the Team
Howard Speaks
Thinking Implants
John Zamet Memorial Prize in Peridontal
Euro Dental Depot
Berkeley Referral Colleague
Message Board: Over-Drying
Message Board: The Inman Aligner
Care Quality Commission
Love Dental
Message Board: Seating Crowns
Poll: Marketing
The Freelancing Trap
Understanding Survivors of Childhood Abuse
The BACD 14th Annual Conference 2017
Bluephase Style Review
Lifestyle
Students Section
Wishlist
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Cover
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Cover2
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 3
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 4
DentaltownUK September 2017 - On Dentaltown.com
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Editorial with Mike Gow
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 7
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Meet the Team
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 9
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Howard Speaks
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 11
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Thinking Implants
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 13
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 14
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 15
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 16
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 17
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 18
DentaltownUK September 2017 - John Zamet Memorial Prize in Peridontal
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 20
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Euro Dental Depot
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Berkeley Referral Colleague
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 23
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Message Board: Over-Drying
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 25
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 26
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Message Board: The Inman Aligner
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 28
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 29
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 30
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Care Quality Commission
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 32
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 33
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 34
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Love Dental
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 36
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 37
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DentaltownUK September 2017 - 40
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 41
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 42
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 43
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 44
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Message Board: Seating Crowns
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 46
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 47
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 48
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 49
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Poll: Marketing
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 51
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 52
DentaltownUK September 2017 - The Freelancing Trap
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 54
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 55
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Understanding Survivors of Childhood Abuse
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 57
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 58
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 59
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 60
DentaltownUK September 2017 - The BACD 14th Annual Conference 2017
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 62
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 63
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Bluephase Style Review
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 65
DentaltownUK September 2017 - Lifestyle
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 67
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 68
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 69
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DentaltownUK September 2017 - Students Section
DentaltownUK September 2017 - 83
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