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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01207960

Efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Dental Phobia

The purpose of this study is to find out whether Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is effective in the treatment of patients with dental phobia.

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Key information

Conditions

Dental Phobia

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Psychosomatics in Dentistry, Dept. of Prosthodontics & Material Science, University Hospital Muenster

Münster, 48149, Germany

About this study

Dental phobia represents a clinical condition that affects 5-15% of the community and is characterized by severe anxiety of dental treatment which leads to avoidance of treatment and, as a consequence, severe dental as well as psychosocial problems.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been developed for the treatment of patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Its efficacy in PTSD patients has often been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials.

Recently it has been demonstrated that dental phobia is often induced by traumatic events during dental treatment and goes along with symptoms of PTSD in numerous patients.

A pilot study (de Jongh et al. 2002) gave hints on the efficacy of EMDR in four dental phobia patients with a history of traumatization during dental treatment.

This randomized wait-list control study aims to evaluate the efficacy of EMDR in a larger sample of dental phobia patients.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • dental phobia according to the World Health Organization´s International Classification of Diseases, ICD-10 (F40.2)

Exclusion criteria

  • schizophrenic disorder
  • severe depression
  • severe dissociative disorder
  • organic brain disease
  • anorexia nervosa (body mass index, BMI < 17)
  • suicidality
  • severe cardio-vascular disease
  • ophthalmic disease
  • pregnancy and lactation
  • psychopharmacological treatment
  • substance abuse

Treatment and study plan

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Behavioral

The intervention consists of three 90-minute sessions of individual psychotherapy. Sessions take place weekly according to a treatment manual.

Primary outcomes

  1. Dental anxiety

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Dental anxiety is assessed by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).

  2. Dental anxiety

    Time frame: 3 months

    Dental anxiety is assessed by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).

  3. Dental anxiety

    Time frame: 12 months

    Dental anxiety is assessed by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).

Secondary outcomes

  1. General psychopathology

    Time frame: 4 weeks, 3 months, 12 months

    General psychopathology is assessed by the Brief Symptom Scale (BSI).

  2. Anxiety and depression

    Time frame: 4 weeks, 3 months, 12 months

    Anxiety and depression are assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

  3. Behavioral test

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Dentral anxiety is assessed during a dental visit before and after treatment/wait-list control condition by means of a standardized behavior obeservation and interview.

  4. Dental treatment

    Time frame: 3 months, 12 months

    Does the patient tolerate dental treatment within 3 and 12 months after Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)?

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital Muenster

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Wait-list Control Study of the Efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Patients With Dental Phobia

Acronym: EMDR-DP

Important dates

Study start
2010
Primary completion
2011
Study completion
2011
First posted
Sep 23, 2010
Registry last updated
May 4, 2012

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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