Why Russians are afraid of stomatologists?

Statistically, can only one of ten of our compatriots brag of a decent condition of an oral cavity. Six teeth affected with caries are the share of the average Russian. For comparison, this indicator for Europeans is almost six times less.

Situation with prevalence of dental problems can be considered really catastrophic, and business here not only in non-compliance with rules of hygiene or general hobby for sweets. As it is not sad, many Russians just are afraid to visit offices of stomatologists.

Problem sources

Certainly, you should not consider all people who are afraid of dentists, pants. With morbid conditions such fear has nothing in common too: unlike phobias, this fear is substantially proved by that situation which developed in domestic stomatology within several decades.

Specific responsible for formation in the society of the negative attitude towards dentists was "public and absolutely free" the Soviet medicine which was formed on the principle of total economy. On assistance to each patient to the doctor it was allotted several minutes of time and rigidly limited volume of materials. Too were almost not engaged in updating of the equipment in district and local clinics (where most of the population was treated). As a result stomatologists worked with the help of the antediluvian equipment, and were forced to fill a tooth from material which collapsed literally in the eyes.

Especially unpleasantly the principle of economy affected use of medicines: practically all procedures were carried out without anesthesia. Many Russians even had a certain style of behavior: carious tooth pain was muffled analgetics until its state did not begin to demand removal. It was the only way to get rid of a problem at least with the minimum anesthesia. Dental care was fraught with such stress that people who visited the doctor only with the preventive purpose met very seldom.

Certainly, doctors were delighted not with current situation too: to work with the patient who shakes with fear or writhes from pain, difficult and unpleasantly. Stomatologists found a way out as they could: great psychologists who were able to find approach to patients met (however, the "soothing" conversation with the patient was not included into standards of time). Doctors who preferred to treat a fright of patients as to a whim, and did not consider it necessary to hide the discontent about it came across (and it is quite frequent). Imperfection of the used materials often led to unpleasant effects: seals dropped out, there were inflammatory processes. Situation was aggravated with the fact that in medicine the principle of a rigid territorial binding worked: the patient could not choose the doctor. In children's stomatology the situation developed similarly: the same procedures, without anesthesia and on the outdated equipment were applied. To school students teeth treated forcibly (many today's pensioners still remember it with horror).

Today the dental help in our country quite strongly differs from that which was available to our parents. For example, anesthesia at dental care stopped being a rarity. On this soil there were also some costs: many patients express desire to receive all dental surgery procedures under the general anesthesia. It can be considered the investigation of fear of stomatologists too: people are ready to take the serious risk for health not to get into a usual stressful situation. However, it is simple to find well equipped dental surgery clinic and doctors who can qualitatively treat under local anesthesia in the big city, almost without causing to the patient of unpleasant feelings. Such services will run into money, but even in district free clinics it is already possible to meet modern drills and tools. On the periphery the situation is much worse: dentists are not enough, they also treat approximately the same as treated about 50 years ago. Therefore opinion that the stomatology in Russia is directly connected with pain, fear, and at times incompetence and roughness of medical personnel, still urgent.

What to do?

The problem needs to be solved somehow. A question not only in lack of the "Hollywood" smiles, but also that a state of disrepair of an oral cavity nasty affects on health. At the person having caries or not having a full range of teeth disturbances of work of a digestive tract, nervous, cardiovascular and other systems of an organism develop.

To frighten people by possibility of diseases in the future if they are afraid to visit dentists now, it is useless. For emergence and cultural development of receiving the dental help, it is necessary to make the following:

• To change the relation of the state to rendering the dental help to the population. It means that anesthesia at dental care has to become obligatory for all medical institutions including public (free). People will not cease to be afraid of dentists until are sure that visit of any office will not bring them any unpleasant feelings;
• To increase the number of the stomatologists and offices equipped with modern appliances in all regions each patient could choose the doctor. Treatment can be successful only at full confidence of the patient to the doctor. It is right for any field of medicine, and for stomatology – in particular;
• To train children in culture of receiving the dental help from the earliest age. Children have to know not only rules of care of an oral cavity, but also to understand need of regular routine inspections. It is very important that in consciousness of kids visits to dental surgeries did not contact negative emotions. The role of doctors who have to be not only good stomatologists, but also the children's psychologists able to minimize stressful situations is in this case invaluable.

The fear of stomatologists among our compatriots is very widespread, and it cannot be got rid for a short time. But, in the presence of the public dental surgery help which is not connected with ideas of pain and a stress there is a chance that our children and grandsons will learn to treat regular visits to the stomatologist as to ordinary events of life, and future generations of Russians will be able to live, without hesitating of the smiles.