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Open research questions in Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques

89 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,147 Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The students participating in the study were not followed for four years, but were evaluated considering their current grade levels. Therefore, changes over the assessed characteristics of the students could not be examined. A larger sample size is needed to verify the hypotheses and determine significant relationships between the independent variables. Another limitation is that important variables related to physiotherapy (BMI, workplace ergonomics, number of clinical working hours, previous physical activity) were not controlled for in the study.

    The effect of physical activity level on pain and anxiety in dentistry faculty students · 2026 · DOI

  • In clinical dental practice, although routine procedures such as endodontic therapy, extractions, and implant placements may cause trauma to the terminal branches of the trigeminal nerve, reported cases of orofacial neuropathic pain remain relatively scarce [28].

    Exploratory investigation of pain threshold in the facial and cervical regions following dental implant surgery · 2026 · DOI

  • The long- term outcomes of VR-based interventions beyond the immediate procedure have not been adequately studied. And perhaps most practically, there is still no consensus on a standardized anxiety screening protocol for routine dental practice, a gap that limits the translation of research findings into clinical reality.

    Fear in the Dental Chair: A Narrative Review of Dental Anxiety Prevalence, Oral Health Consequences and the Evidence Behind Behavioral, Pharmacological and Sedation-Based Interventions · 2026 · DOI

  • Given the limited literature on student perspectives in OMFS and the single- center focus of this study, future research involving diverse dental faculties globally is needed to provide a broader perspective.

    Evaluation of the Perspectives of 5th-Year Dental Students on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinical Practice · 2026 · DOI

  • influence meta-analytic This review is limited by the small number of included studies (n = 5), which reduces statistical power and increases uncertainty in pooled estimates. With such a limited evidence base, individual studies may results, disproportionately limiting generalizability across procedures, settings, and age groups. Assessment of publication bias and small-study effects was not feasible, as funnel plots and statistical tests are unreliable with fewer than ten studies. Additionally, variability in pain and anxiety assessment tools and differences in multimodal protocol components contributed to clinical and methodological heterogeneity not fully captured by the I² statistic.

    A systematic review and meta-analysis of analgesia protocols in pediatric dental procedures: current evidence and clinical implications · 2026 · DOI

  • 15 The limitations of this study were: the random inclusion of participants based on their acceptance, without forming groups through sample randomization processes; the absence of a control group without treatment; the lack of prior assessment of the presence of pain, which could increase fear or anxiety; and 16 participants who underwent the first consultation and did not respond to the questionnaire again.

    El uso de la auriculoterapia en el control de la ansiedad en la práctica clínica odontológica · 2026 · DOI

  • In conducting our systematic review we identified some methodological limitations consistent with those highlighted by Alonso-Coello et al. in 2016 (21). We reported most outcomes in relative or descriptive terms, such as percentage reductions in anxiety or improvements in cooperative behaviour, without presenting absolute effect estimates like absolute risk reduction or number needed to treat.

    Effectiveness of virtual reality as a behavioural management method in children during dental visits: a systematic review · 2026 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: Considering the limitations of this study, the following conclusions can be made: the invasive treatment resulted in a specific unison GSR pattern, while the non-invasive procedure showed individually scattered GSR reactions.

    Sensors: future tools for detecting young patient’s stress during a dental invasive versus a non-invasive dental treatment—a pilot study · 2024 · DOI

  • Various studies have reported the beneficial effect of meditation along with relaxation therapy on healthy individuals but the beneficial effect of meditation and relaxation therapy [MRT] to reduce stress and anxiety preoperatively in OSCC patients has not been reported in scientific literature.

    Effect of meditation and relaxation therapy on preoperative anxiety and stress in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients scheduled for oral and maxillofacial surgery: An experimental study · 2024 · DOI

  • Evidence for reducing state anxiety is inconclusive regarding psychotherapy, and does not support virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), virtual reality distraction, music, aromatherapy, video information and acupuncture.

    Interventions to reduce adult state anxiety, dental trait anxiety, and dental phobia: A systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials · 2024 · DOI

  • ConclusionWithin the limitations of the current study, a diagnostic tool of a standardized questionnaire for the assessment to assess personal coping strategies decreased state anxiety in comparison to a questionnaire assessing anxiety.

    A double-blind randomized clinical trial on the suggestive effect of anxiety management questionnaires in dental emergencies · 2024 · DOI

  • Results and Discussion: With the limitation of this study, it was evident that there was no correlation between vaccination against Covid-19 and local anesthesia in dental treatment with healthy patients.

    Symptom manifestation of dental local anesthesia with patients who recently received COVID-19 vaccine · 2022 · DOI

  • CONCLUSION: Limited studies are available pertaining to the sedative and behavioral effects of intranasal midazolam, and thus, this review recommends need for more research evaluating the sedative effect of intranasal midazolam in comparison with midazolam administered through other routes in the behavior management of children during dental treatment.

    Sedative and Behavioral Effects of Intranasal Midazolam in Comparison with Other Administrative Routes in Children Undergoing Dental Treatment – A Systematic Review · 2021 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study we can conclude that salivary amylase is an indicator of of acute stress that can differentiate between anxiety and dental fear; while salivary cortisol appears to be a marker of long-term stress that lacks the sensitivity to differentiate between the two.

    The impact of dental treatment and age on salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels of patients with varying degrees of dental anxiety · 2019 · DOI

  • Despite the knowledge that dental fear is closely linked to painful experience, the association between pain sensitivity and dental fear remains unclear.

    Pressure pain sensitivity is associated with dental fear in adults in middle age: Findings from the Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort study · 2018 · DOI

  • Also, most of these studies were performed in USA or Asian countries and there might be come culturally biased findings (some of them may not be applicable to European samples) as the authors of a recent study with German dental patients found no clinically relevant effect of music on anxiety (Lahmann et al.

    The effect of symphonic and lounge music upon anxiety and pain in a sample of Romanian dental patients · 2017 · DOI

  • CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, the findings suggest that individuals wearing ST dento-maxillary prostheses following HNC resection experience some sort of daily life stress and complicated socio-demographic factors may influence their QOL.

    Differences of salivary cortisol levels between long-term and short-term wearers of dento-maxillary prosthesis due to head and neck cancer resection · 2013 · DOI

  • To date, few studies have looked at the influence of psychosocial factors on outcome after periodontal surgery (Axtelius, Soderfeldt, Nilsson, Edwardsson, & Attstrom, 1998; Vettore, Quintanilha, Monteiro da Silva, Lamarca, & Leao, 2005; Wimmer, Kohldorfer, Mischak, Lorenzoni, & Kallus, 2005).

    The Role of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Periodontal Surgical Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial · 2012

  • CONCLUSIONS: These findings show general support for the CVM as an explanatory model for maintaining dental anxiety, though its role as a model for fear acquisition is still not fully established.

    Cognitive vulnerability and the aetiology and maintenance of dental anxiety · 2011 · DOI

  • Most responding dentists believed that their advice on DH was generally effective although they did highlight that certain aspects on the condition were lacking such as appropriate scientific information including the prevention of DH and its treatment.

    Dentists' perceptions of dentine hypersensitivity and knowledge of its treatment · 2002 · DOI

  • Taken together, the totality of evidence from this trial is insufficient to conclude that inhaled lavender aromatherapy produces a reliable reduction in acute preoperative dental anxiety.

    Effect of Inhaled Lavender Aromatherapy on Preoperative Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Tooth Extraction: A Randomized Controlled Trial · 2026 · DOI

  • When behavioral techniques are insufficient, conscious or deep sedation or general anesthesia may be required, but practical guidance on selection and care pathways remains fragmented.

    Sedation and General Anesthesia in Non-Cooperative Dental Patients: An Italian Clinical Experience · 2026 · DOI

  • Parental attitudes toward baby teeth treatment, such as the belief that they should not be treated because they will fall out, is less directly explored in studies from Spain and Iran but can be inferred to be present.

    REASONS FOR DENTAL VISITS AMONG CHILDREN AGED 6–12 YEARS – A NARRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW – · 2025 · DOI

  • CONCLUSION: We conclude that the evidence concerning the efficacy of the various interventions is still rather weak and there is an obvious need for further research, because of the yet and unresolved challenges and the lack of standardised guidelines to deal with patients with dentophobia.

    Dentophobia and dental treatment: An umbrella review of the published literature · 2022 · DOI

  • Further high-quality randomised trials with robust study design and large sample size are warranted to confirm our findings and to confirm the role of aromatherapy in relieving dental anxiety.

    Efficacy of aromatherapy on dental anxiety: A systematic review of randomised and quasi‐randomised controlled trials · 2020 · DOI

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89 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,147 Dental Anxiety and Anesthesia Techniques papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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