Oral Health Psychology

Tiril Willumsen has a long history within clinical practice and research relating to dental anxiety. She defended her Dr. Odont thesis on the treatment of dental anxiety in 1999 and has since worked on psychological and other risk factors for increased poor oral health, including dental anxiety, sexual abuse, substance abuse, stoke, and dementia. From 2012 to 2016 she was head of a working group for a project aiming to provide adequate publicly financed treatment (both psychological and dental) to persons exposed to sexual abuse, torture, domestic violence, and odontophobia. The project now involves psychologists, dentists, dental secretaries, and dental hygienists in all counties of Norway. Dr. Willumsen is Professor in Behavioral Science and Dean at the Dental Faculty, University of Oslo, where she is responsible for behavioral science education of dental students and postgraduate courses for dentists.Jostein Paul Årøen Lein is a specialist in clinical psychology. He has several years of experience working with anxiety patients in a dental clinic, with odontophobia and/or childhood traumas. He also has experience working in an inpatient hospital facility with patients suffering from severe mental disorders such as psychosis and personality disorders. He has been an editor and author of a Norwegian book on behavior science and psychological factors in a dental setting.Ronald C. Gorter, PhD, is a psychologist specialised in social dentistry. He earned his doctorate in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and is associate professor with the department of Social Dentistry & Behavioural Sciences of the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). For two decades he teaches communication skills and behavioural aspects of working as a health professional to both dental students and graduated dentists. His research focuses on communication and career aspects of general dental practitioners, and more precisely on staff communication, work stress, burnout, and job satisfaction. Dr Gorter is (co-)author of over sixty Dutch and international professional and scientific publications.Lena Myran is a specialist in clinical psychology. She has worked with adult patients both individually and interdisciplinarily since 2009, specializing during the past 5 years in patients with odontophobia, torture, and childhood traumas. She coedited and wrote chapters in the textbook “Odontologisk psykologi”. She has lectured students for 9 years and supervised health professionals for 5 years. She has developed methods, videos, and new digital tools for the treatment of odontophobia.

“Oral health psychology is incredibly informative and insightful. ... Oral health psychology provides an insightful perspective and increases the reader’s awareness to care for the patient as a whole, while also standing to remind us how better to take care of ourselves as oral health professionals.” (Magdalena Chan, British Dental Journal, Vol. 235 (2), July, 2023)

• Part I Basic oral health psychology.- Ch 1: Basic oral health related psychology.- Ch 2: The importance of trauma-sensitive care.- Ch 3: Pain.- Ch 4: The importance of a safe relationship with dental patients.- Ch 5: Oral health literacy.- Ch 6: Communication in dentistry - The Four Habits Model.- Ch 7: Behavioural change.- Ch 8: Self-determination theory (SDT).- Part II Children.- Ch 9: Positive encounters for children to prevent dental anxiety; theory and practice.- Ch 10: Family violence and child maltreatment.- Part Back matter: Voice of Children.- Part III Dental anxiety.- Ch 11: Understanding development and persistence of dental anxiety.- Ch 12: Psychological prevention and management of dental anxiety.- Ch 13: Dentist-administered CBT-treatment for dental anxiety.- Ch 14: Blood-, Injury- and Injection phobia.- Part Back matter: Voice of dental anxiety patients.- Part IV Patients with complex reactions and co- morbidity.- Ch 15: People with mental disorders in the dental clinic.- Ch 16: How to deal with gagging.- Ch 17: Child sexual abuse and oral health challenges.- Ch 18: Providing dental care to torture survivors.- Ch 19: The psychosocial impacts of orofacial features - with examples from orthognathic surgery.- Part Back matter: Voice of CSA survivors.- Part V Professionalism.- Ch 20: Dental professionalism and professional behaviour in practice and education.- Ch 21: Living in a golden cage? Work stress, burnout risk, and engagement in dental practice; background and prevention.- Ch 22: Working in partnership for better oral health care.