Dentist-Perceived Barriers and Attractors to Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Provided by Mental Health Providers in Dental Practices

Abstract

Over 1 in 5 dental patients report moderate to severe dental fear. Although the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for dental fear has been examined in over 20 randomized controlled trials—with 2 meta-analyses finding strong average effect sizes (d > 1)—CBT has received almost no dissemination beyond the specialty clinics that tested it. The challenge, then, is not how to treat dental fear but how to disseminate and implement such an evidence-based treatment in a way that recognizes the rewards and barriers in the US health care system. This mixed-method study investigated the potential of disseminating CBT through care from a mental health provider from within the dental home, a practice known as evidence-based collaborative care (EBCC). Two preadoption studies were conducted with practicing dentists drawn from a self-organized Practice-Based Research Network in the New York City metropolitan area. The first comprised 3 focus groups (N = 17), and the second involved the administration of a survey (N = 46). Focus group participants agreed that CBT for dental fear is worthy of consideration but identified several concerns regarding its appeal, feasibility, and application in community dental practices. Survey participants indicated endorsement of factors promoting the use of EBCC as a mechanism for CBT dissemination, with no factors receiving less than 50% support. Taken together, these findings indicate that EBCC may be a useful framework through which an evidence-based treatment for dental fear treatment can be delivered.