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

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

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dental Phobia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Detailed Description

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 24
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Muenster, Germany, 48149
    • Psychosomatics in Dentistry, Dept. of Prosthodontics & Material Science, University Hospital Muenster

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 73 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: EMDR; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing	Behavioral: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); The intervention consists of three 90-minute sessions of individual psychotherapy. Sessions take place weekly according to a treatment manual.
No Intervention: WLC; Wait-list control group. EMDR treatment takes place after 4 weeks of no treatment which represents the wait-list comparison interval.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Dental anxiety	Dental anxiety is assessed by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).	4 weeks
Dental anxiety	Dental anxiety is assessed by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).	3 months
Dental anxiety	Dental anxiety is assessed by the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
General psychopathology	General psychopathology is assessed by the Brief Symptom Scale (BSI).	4 weeks, 3 months, 12 months
Anxiety and depression	Anxiety and depression are assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).	4 weeks, 3 months, 12 months
Behavioral test	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 weeks
Dental treatment	Does the patient tolerate dental treatment within 3 and 12 months after Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)?	3 months, 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital Muenster

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• De Jongh A, van den Oord HJ, ten Broeke E. Efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in the treatment of specific phobias: Four single-case studies on dental phobia. J Clin Psychol. 2002 Dec;58(12):1489-503. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10100.
• de Jongh A, Fransen J, Oosterink-Wubbe F, Aartman I. Psychological trauma exposure and trauma symptoms among individuals with high and low levels of dental anxiety. Eur J Oral Sci. 2006 Aug;114(4):286-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.2006.00384.x.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 29, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 22, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): September 23, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 4, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2012
• Last Verified: May 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: efficacy; psychotherapy; dental phobia; eye movement desensitization and reprocessing - EMDR; wait-list control
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Phobic Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2007-137-f-S