Designing a Dental Phobia Reduction Programme for Public Dental Clinics in Rivers State

Dental phobia leads to treatment avoidance and accumulating dental disease, and designing a structured anxiety reduction programme for the public dental clinic context in South South Nigeria addresses a significant barrier to dental care utilisation. This study designed a dental phobia reduction programme for public dental clinics in Rivers State, South South Nigeria. A professional programme design methodology was applied, incorporating dental anxiety prevalence data from 350 new dental patients at Government Hospital Port Harcourt, structured consultations with 12 public sector dental officers and 6 clinical psychologists, and review of ADAA dental phobia management guidelines and comparable anxiety reduction programmes from Kenya and South Africa. Prevalence assessment confirmed severe dental anxiety (MDAS score above 18) in 17.1 percent of new patients. Key fear triggers were injection, drilling, and unexpected pain. The programme designed encompasses four components: a pre-appointment anxiety screening tool, a brief patient-centred communication protocol for all dental officers, a tell-show-do preparatory procedure for anxious patients, and a cognitive distraction toolkit including audio and visual distraction options. Referral criteria for clinical psychology input are specified for severe phobia cases. Expert review by eight clinical psychology and dental anxiety specialists confirmed the programme's evidence base and clinical feasibility. Recommendations include training all dental officers in the programme protocol through a one-day workshop, equipping clinic waiting rooms with anxiety-reducing features, and evaluating MDAS scores before and after 6 months of programme implementation.

Keywords: dental phobia, anxiety reduction programme, public dental clinic, Rivers State, patient-centred care