Your health: How to get over your fear of the dentist

How to get over fear of the dentist

Almost half of American adults have at least moderate fears about going to the dentist, and 5 percent to 10 percent have told researchers that they avoid dental care as a result.

Richard Heimberg, a psychology professor at Temple University, explains in last month's issue of Monitor on Psychology how his clinic for adults with anxiety has developed a video-based "dental anxiety intervention."

To prepare a frightened person for a certain procedure - such as getting a filling or undergoing a root canal - the dentist shows the patient three videos.

The first shows a dentist performing the procedure, while animated graphics show what's going on inside the mouth. The next shows the procedure as a close-up of the video patient's face while the dentist talks like a therapist, "helping the patient translate what Heimberg calls 'Oh, my God!' thoughts into more positive thoughts." In the last one, a voice-over by the video patient talks through the procedure, helping the actual patient develop "coping thoughts."

In trial of 151 patients with high dental anxiety or phobias, Heimberg's team found the intervention significantly reduced fears. And the effects were lasting: A month later, some patients were so comfortable with dental care they no longer qualified as phobic.

No change in autism numbers: 1 in 68

A recently released government report shows no change in how common autism is among U.S. children, The Associated Press reports.

About 1 in 68 school-aged children have autism or related disorders. That's the same as it was when health officials checked two years earlier.

The lack of change is noteworthy because autism estimates had been steadily increasing. In 2007, the government estimated only 1 in 150 children had autism.

But it's too soon to tell whether the number is stabilizing, said Daisy Christensen, lead author of the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For decades, autism meant kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. But the definition has gradually expanded and now includes milder, related conditions. The causes of autism are still not known.

April is Autism Awareness Month. For information on local programs, visit www.autismillinois.org/.