HYPNOSIS COMPARED WITH GROUP-THERAPY AND INDIVIDUAL DESENSITIZATION FOR DENTAL ANXIETY

Effects of hypnotherapy (HT) and self-hypnosis training on extreme den tal anxiety in adults aged 19-65 years were compared with group therap y (GT) and individual desensitization (SD) using scales of dental anxi ety: dental beliefs, and fear of a nest dentist (after specialist trea tment). All experimental groups were demographically comparable and sh owed reduced anxiety and improved dental beliefs compared with 51 cont rol patients. The 25 HT patients did not differ significantly in numbe rs of dropouts during training compared with the 30 GT patients or 68 SD patients. For patients completing treatment, HT (n=22) reduced dent al anxiety to the same degree as GT (n=24) and SD (n=60). HT and SD pa tients required more therapist hours per patient than did CT, but tota l dropouts at 1 yr after specialist treatment were significantly great er in HT (13/ 25) than for SD rehearsals (5/34) or SD video (8/32), bu t not GT (15/30). Hypnotizability was found to vary from patient to pa tient. with a direct relationship to time saved. But hypnotizability h ad an inverse relationship to STAI general anxiety level for those who went on to dentists after 1 year. Transference effectswere noted for most HT dropout patients as an aversive response to continued dental t reatment with other dentists than the specialist.