Presentation description

Emotional or mental trauma can develop as a result of war, abuse, exposure to violence, and other negative experiences. Responses to trauma can occur at unexpected times and for unknown reasons. Because many forms of physical trauma involve the head and neck region, it is possible that something as routine as receiving dental care could result in a trauma response. The field of medicine has long realized the potential for trauma responses to be triggered by the provision of care. Trauma-informed care (TIC) practices have been implemented in medicine to assist practitioners with preventing and responding to trauma responses during care. Dentistry, however, has yet to develop and implement TIC practices, despite the fact that one in four people are expected to experience dental fear and anxiety.

We hypothesize that a history of trauma is associated with the presence of dental care-related fear and anxiety. We aim to enroll individuals from predominantly low-income or marginalized populations who also have a higher likelihood of trauma. To understand the relationship between trauma and dental care, we have developed and translated a survey that uses self-report items to gather data on participant demographics, experiences with dental care, and history of traumatic events. We will recruit individuals who are receiving care at the Rose Park Population Health Center. From this data we aim to understand how dental fear and anxiety interact with traumatic histories, therefore allowing us to better implement TIC practices in dentistry.