Table Of ContentTextbooks in Contemporary Dentistry
Tiril Willumsen
Jostein Paul Årøen Lein
Ronald C. Gorter
Lena Myran Editors
Oral Health
Psychology
Psychological Aspects Related to Dentistry
Textbooks in Contemporary Dentistry
This textbook series presents the most recent advances in all fields of dentistry, with the aim of bridging the
gap between basic science and clinical practice. It will equip readers with an excellent knowledge of how to
provide optimal care reflecting current understanding and utilizing the latest materials and techniques. Each
volume is written by internationally respected experts in the field who ensure that information is conveyed in
a concise, consistent, and readily intelligible manner with the aid of a wealth of informative illustrations.
Textbooks in Contemporary Dentistry will be especially valuable for advanced students, practitioners in the
early stages of their career, and university instructors.
More information about this series at https://link. springer. com/bookseries/14362
Tiril Willumsen • Jostein Paul Årøen Lein
Ronald C. Gorter • Lena Myran
Editors
Oral Health
Psychology
Psychological Aspects Related to Dentistry
Editors
Tiril Willumsen Jostein Paul Årøen Lein
Institute of Clinical Dentistry Levanger Hospital
University of Oslo Levanger, Norway
Oslo, Norway
Lena Myran
Ronald C. Gorter Oral health center of expertice Mid-Norway
Social Dentistry & Behavioural Sciences Trondheim, Norway
Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
ISSN 2524-4612 ISSN 2524-4620 (electronic)
Textbooks in Contemporary Dentistry
ISBN 978-3-031-04247-8 ISBN 978-3-031-04248-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04248-5
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V
Foreword
To the authors of the book Oral Health Psychology
The book Oral Health Psychology should be a must for both current and future
dentists and other oral health professionals. The authors define "oral health psychol-
ogy" as a collection of scientific, pedagogical, and professional contributions from psy-
chology to the promotion and maintenance of oral health. The book thus contributes
to placing oral health as an integral part of general health and well-being. In order to
understand and help all patients, dental professionals should have knowledge and skills
in communication, disease prevention, and anxiety problems. Oral health psychology
also deals with the professionalism in the role of oral health professionals and should
therefore be set clearly and included in modern curricula for dental health profession-
als.
Pål Barkvoll
Professor dr.odont. (Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine), President ADEE
(Association for Dental Education in Europe), Lincoln Place, Ireland
Preface
Dentistry aims to provide a dental patient the opportunity to experience good oral
health throughout life. In order to achieve this aim, adequate attitudes, knowledge, and
skills within the dental team are essential. Traditionally, (bio)medical knowledge and
technical/manual skills have been the basis of dental care. The biopsychosocial model
has informed us that these perspectives are not sufficient to provide optimal care for all
patients. We know today that many patients are at risk of poor oral health due to
reduced benefit from traditional dental care. They may not be able to take advice and
instructions from dental personnel, they struggle to perform daily oral care, and when
showing up in a dental clinic, they fight with anxiety, helplessness, or hopelessness.
In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a World Health Assembly
Resolution in which it paved the way for better oral healthcare. Together with empha-
sizing the need for accessibility to oral care for all, the WHO also stressed the fact that
“oral health is a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of life.“ The
WHO also recommends a shift from the traditional curative approach towards a pre-
ventive approach that includes promotion of oral health within the family, schools, and
workplaces, and includes timely, comprehensive, and inclusive care within the primary
healthcare system.
To help patients, dental staff need to include a psychological dimension in their
professional field. Within a broader (medical) context, psychological understanding of
healthcare-related issues is defined as health psychology. Therefore, following the
American Psychological Association’s definition of health psychology, we define oral
health psychology as:
> “Oral health psychology is the aggregate of scientific, educational, and professional
contributions from psychology to the promotion and maintenance of oral health. This
includes the prevention and treatment of illness, the identification of etiologic and
diagnostic correlates of diminished oral health, and the analysis and improvement of
the oral healthcare system and oral health policy formation.”
The field of dentistry is ever developing. Dentistry is no longer only about oral dis-
eases. In 2016, the World Dental Federation (FDI) redefined oral health as “Oral health
is multi-faceted and includes the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swal-
low and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with confidence and
without pain, discomfort and disease of the craniofacial complex (head, face, and oral
cavity). Oral health means the health of the mouth. No matter what your age, oral
health is vital to general health and well-being.”
The purpose of this definition is to integrate oral health in the patient´s overall
health and well-being. The new definition represents a paradigm shift in dentistry. In
this paradigm shift, understanding and implementing oral health psychology in daily
dental practice is fundamental.
The dental health service has emphasized and will continue to place great emphasis
on operational treatment of discomfort and/or disease in the craniofacial complex. But
modern dentistry also includes seeing the patient as a whole, including psychological
issues and challenges that affect oral health.
This book aims to give both oral health students and staff a comprehensive intro-
duction and understanding in many aspects related to oral health psychology. It will
also address many of the challenges faced by oral health staff when meeting patients
with different degrees of psychological well-being associated with their oral health and
treatment. Hopefully, these perspectives and increased understanding will contribute
to fulfill the needs of every patient.
VII
Preface
> Dental patients are not difficult, but they may be in a difficult situation.
As editors, we have chosen to refer in the text to other relevant chapters rather than
writing the same thing several times, although there may be some overlap. For students,
the chapters are presented in a carefully planned order, and it is recommended to read
the entire book. For dental and other oral health professionals, or any interested reader,
the chapters can often be read separately.
For reasons of readability, in the text the word dentist is regularly used just to refer
to the dentist, whereas in many cases it is also used to refer to the dental staff in a
broader sense.
We want this book to contribute to better oral health in patients of all ages, and to
help improve collaboration among dental professionals, their patients, and the patients’
caregivers. In addition, we hope that improved knowledge will increase job satisfaction
and reduce risk of burnout among dental staff.
This book is a result of international collaboration, with authors from various
countries and various continents. We would like to thank all authors for their contribu-
tions and dedication to help create this book.
Tiril Willumsen
Oslo, Norway
Ronald C. Gorter
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lena Myran
Trondheim, Norway
Jostein Paul Årøen Lein
Levanger, Norway
16. 02. 2022
IX
Contents
I Basic Oral Health Psychology
1 Basic Oral Health-Related Psychology ................................................................................. 3
Jan-Are K. Johnsen, Adam Rogers, Jan Bergdahl, and Tiril Willumsen
2 The Importance of Trauma- Sensitive Care ........................................................................ 25
Trine Anstorp, Åshild Nupen, and Tiril Willumsen
3 Pain .............................................................................................................................................................. 39
Borrik Schjødt, Maren Lillehaug Agdal, and Margrethe Elin Vika
4 The Importance of a Safe Relationship with Dental Patients ............................... 63
Lena Myran and Tiril Willumsen
5 Oral Health Literacy.......................................................................................................................... 75
Linda Stein, Jan-Are Kolset Johnsen, and Julie Satur
6 Communication in Dentistry: The Four Habits Model ............................................... 87
Jorun Torper, Kjetil Strøm, Ann Catrin Høyvik, and Tiril Willumsen
7 Behaviour Change for Oral Health ......................................................................................... 103
Peter Prescott, Koula Asimakopoulou, and Jostein Paul Årøen Lein
8 Self-Determination Theory – Autonomy Support
and Improving Oral Health .......................................................................................................... 113
Anne Elisabeth Münster Halvari
II Children
9 Positive Encounters for Children to Prevent Dental
Anxiety – Theory and Practice ................................................................................................... 129
Helen Rodd, Anne Rønneberg, Therese Varvin Fredriksen,
Ingrid Berg Johnsen, and Zoe Marshman
10 Family Violence and Child Maltreatment ........................................................................... 147
Anne Rønneberg, Jenny Harris, Therese Varvin Fredriksen,
and Tiril Willumsen
Part II
III Dental Anxiety
11 Understanding Development and Persistence of Dental Anxiety .................... 167
Tiril Willumsen, Maren L. Agdal, and Margrethe Elin Vika
12 Psychological Prevention and Management of Dental Anxiety ......................... 179
Tiril Willumsen, Maren L. Agdal, Mariann Saanum Hauge, and Bent Storå
X Contents
13 Dentist-Administered CBT for Dental Anxiety ............................................................... 195
Mariann Saanum Hauge, Tiril Willumsen, and Bent Storå
14 Blood–Injury–Injection Phobia ................................................................................................ 207
Maren Lillehaug Agdal, Karin Goplerud Berge,
and Margrethe Elin Vika
Part III
IV Patients with Complex Reactions and Co- morbidity
15 People with Mental Disorders in the Dental Clinic ...................................................... 223
Anne Kristine Bergem
16 How to Deal with Gagging ........................................................................................................... 239
Maren Lillehaug Agdal, Ann Catrin Høyvik, Marianne Hoås Gudmundsen,
and Lena Myran
17 Child Sexual Abuse and Oral Health Challenges ........................................................... 259
Tiril Willumsen, Therese V. Fredriksen, Siri Søftestad, and Vibeke Kranstad
18 Providing Dental Care to Torture Survivors ..................................................................... 275
Ann Catrin Høyvik and Marit Irene Woldstad
19 The Psychosocial Impacts of Orofacial Features: With Examples
from Orthognathic Surgery ........................................................................................................ 285
Paula Frid, Sarah R. Baker, and Jan-Are Kolset Johnsen
Part IV
V Professionalism
20 Dental Professionalism and Professional Behaviour in Practice
and Education ...................................................................................................................................... 305
Sandra Zijlstra-Shaw and Ronald C. Gorter
21 Living in a Golden Cage? Work Stress, Burnout Risk, and Engagement in
Dental Practice: Background and Prevention ................................................................. 315
Ronald C. Gorter, Lena Myran, and Tiril Willumsen
22 Working in Partnership for Better Oral Health Care ................................................... 327
Lena Myran, Jostein Paul Årøen Lein, Margrethe Elin Vika, Ulla Wide,
and Wendy Knibbe
Supplementary Information
Index ............................................................................................................................................................. 345
