Anxiety UK is delighted to announce a new partnership with Centre for Dentistry, to raise awareness of dental phobia and to improve the support available to those experiencing dental anxiety.
According to statistics from the Oral Health Foundation, almost half of UK adults have a fear of the dentist, with 12% of these suffering from an extreme dental anxiety or phobia. In addition, visiting the dentist is ranked number one for making people nervous – even more popular than a fear of heights. However, as many people do not feel comfortable talking about their phobias, it is thought that these figures could be a lot higher.
Dental health is an important part of your overall wellbeing and it’s important to remember that poor oral health is not simply about toothache and decay. It has a much wider impact on general health than you may think. Research over the past decade has revealed growing evidence linking poor oral health to serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, problems during pregnancy and dementia.
Despite the clear links between dental health and overall wellbeing, nearly half the population are unhappy with their teeth, 31% of adults have tooth decay and 29% of us suffer from regular dental pain (Oral Health Foundation).
With that in mind and so many people in Britain affected by dental anxiety and phobia, Centre for Dentistry and Anxiety UK believe it is imperative to act now. The partnership aims to raise awareness of dental anxiety, providing more accessible information and encouraging those affected by dental anxiety to access appropriate support.
Lisa Riley, CEO at Centre for Dentistry, says “This exciting partnership represents a real opportunity to have a positive impact on the nation’s oral health. New patients often say to us that they have put off going for so long as they are afraid it might be painful or because they have had a bad experience many years ago. It’s a pleasure seeing the transformation of these same patients as they work with our dentists to successfully overcome their dental fears and get back into routine dentistry. With the support of Anxiety UK, we want to raise the profile of dental anxiety in the UK and encourage people who may have been avoiding going to the dentist due to fear to seek help and take those first steps.”
Seyed Alroyayamina, a dentist at Centre for Dentistry Brookwood in Surrey, says “Being at a place that is part of a routine, where you shop regularly, can take away that mental build-up of seeing a dentist. There is a potential for a paradigm shift in behaviour by taking the stress out of thinking about and planning to visit the dentist. Every day we get patients coming in with their bags of shopping and popping in for a check-up or a bit of treatment as it is an easy and relaxed thing to do.”
Nicky Lidbetter, Chief Executive at Anxiety UK, says “Dental anxiety is one of the more common specific phobias and anxiety conditions for which Anxiety UK receives numerous requests for support every year. Through this innovative partnership, Anxiety UK’s expertise in the field of anxiety disorders will be brought together with that of the Centre for Dentistry’s expertise in dentistry so as to provide much-needed practical and accessible support for those with a fear of the dentist.”
You can find out more about the Centre for Dentistry on their website: http://ift.tt/2b947ac
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