Aj. Shaw et N. Niven, THEORETICAL CONCEPTS AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF HYPNOSIS IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH DENTAL FEAR AND ANXIETY, British Dental Journal, 180(1), 1996, pp. 11-16
Dental fear and anxiety in children and adolescents is a common proble
m. Hypnosis has been shown to be useful in the treatment of these pati
ents. This paper briefly reviews conventional management skills before
considering the application of hypnosis. Following a definition of hy
pnosis, the concepts of relaxation, restricted awareness, blunting of
critical faculties and the enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion
are outlined. Consideration is given to the induction of hypnosis and
its general application in an informal and formal manner. The applicat
ion of more specific techniques, such as the use of hypnoanalgesia to
reduce physical discomfort and the development of coping strategies to
help children overcome their fears, are discussed. It has been widely
shown that hypnosis is a useful adjunct in dentistry. However, it is
unfortunate that hypnosis is not more widely used as it has the potent
ial for making conventional dental management more acceptable and redu
cing the number of children requiring general anaesthesia.