Research

Dental clinics provide a “natural” laboratory for the psychological study of anxiety, pain, and their interactions. Thus, a considerable portion of the research completed by the Anxiety, Psychophysiology, and Pain Research Laboratory falls under the umbrella of Behavioral Dentistry. Behavioral Dentistry describes the application of psychological and other social sciences to the study and practice of oral health care. Specifically, it addresses questions about the dental patient experience utilizing a framework of behavioral theory. Ultimately, this research increases our understanding of the role of psychological and social phenomena in health care settings and allows for the development of protocols that improve patient education, treatment, and compliance with dentist’s recommendations. Research in Behavioral Dentistry is important because of its clinical and public health relevance. Long-standing collaborative relationships with faculty of the West Virginia University School of Dentistry allow ready access to clinical populations for “real world” study of pain and its interactions with emotions. Some of the areas of focus within the Behavioral Dentistry arena for Dr. Dan McNeil and the Anxiety, Psychophysiology, and Pain Research Laboratory are dental fear and phobia, psychosocial determinants of utilization of oral health care, memory of pain and anxiety, and access to and utilization of oral health care in Appalachia. 

Recent conference presentations from the Anxiety, Psychophysiology, and Pain Research Laboratory are made available below (For a copy of the poster, click on the title)

ABCT 2018

Nelson, C. I., Wright, C. D., Arias, M. C., McNeil, D. W., Kao, E., Neiswanger, K., Weyant, R. J., Foxman, B., Crout, R. J., & Marazita, M. L. (November, 2018). Effects of Maternal Depression and Oral Health on Child Oral Health. SIG Poster presented at the 52nd annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference, Washington D.C.  

Wright, C. D., & McNeil, D. W. (November, 2018). Distress Tolerance as an Etiological Factor in the Relation betweenStress and Gut-Related Malady? Poster presented at the 52nd annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference, Washington D.C.  

AADR 2018

Arias, M. C., Wright, C. D., McNeil, D. W., Kao, E., Alexander, L., Neiswanger, K., Weyent, R. J., Foxman, B., Crout, R. J., & Marazita, M. L. (March, 2018). Smoking Trajectories during Pregnancy and Postpartum in North Central Appalachia. Oral presentation: American Association for Dental Research, Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

Wright, C. D., Arias, M. C., McNeil, D. W., Neiswanger, K., Crout, R. J., Weyent, R. J.,Foxman, B., & Marazita, M. L. (March, 2018). Gingival health trajectories and perceived stress during the perinatal period. Oral presentation: American Association for Dental Research, Fort Lauderdale, Fl

Meadows, Y., Hamrick, C., Dieringer, B. M., Dillon, J. C., Randall, C. L., Neiswanger, K., Crout, R. J., Weyant, R. L., Marazita, M. L., & McNeil, D. W. (March, 2018). Exploring Intergenerational Transmission of Dental Fear in School-Aged Children. Poster presented at the American Association for Dental Research, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

ABCT 2017

Arias, M. C., & McNeil, D. W. (November, 2017). Treatment of Specific Dental Phobia: Exposure Stimuli Delivered via Smartphones. Poster presented at the 51st annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference, San Diego, CA. 

Wright, C. D., McNeil, D. W., Manegold, E. M., Addicks, S. H., Neiswanger, K., Crout, R. J., Weyant, R. J., Foxman, B. & Marazita, M. L. (2017, November). Depression trajectories of perinatal and postpartum women in Appalachia: Results of a latent class growth analysis. Poster presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy’s 51st Annual Convention, San Diego, CA     

WVRHA 2017 

Arias, M. C., Wright, C. D., Flatley, M., Manegold, E. M., Kao, E., Neiswanger, K., Weyant, R. J., Foxman, B., Crout, R. J., Marazita, M. L., McNeil, D. W., (October, 2017). Smoking During and After Pregnancy in West Virginia: Targeting Time Points for Intervention. Oral presentation: West Virginia State Rural Health Conference, Davis, WV 

IADR 2017

Addicks, S. H., McNeil, D. W., Chertok, I. A. Z., Wiener, C. R., Randall, C. L., Neiswanger, K., Weyant, R. J., Foxman, B. Crout, R. J., & Marazita, M. L. (2017, March). Exploring the associations among oral health, fear of pain, and breastfeeding in a rural Appalachian sample. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the International Association of Dental Research, San Francisco, CA. 

Arias, M. C., McNeil, D. W., Wright, C. D., Gallegos, J., Stephenson, D., Clement, D., Ward, D. M., Stuchell, R., & Edwards, C. B. (March, 2017).  Novel Treatment for Dental Phobia Utilizing Smart Phone Technology. Poster presented at The International Association for Dental Research Conference, San Francisco, CA 

Edwards, C. B., Randall, C. L., Addicks, S. H., Arias, M. C., Ward, D. M., Wright, C. D., Stuchell, R., & McNeil1 D. W. (March, 2017).  Initial development of an oral health values scale. Poster presented at The International Association for Dental Research Conference, San Francisco, CA

Wright, C. D., Edwards, C. B., McNeil, D. W., Crout, R. J., Neiswanger, K., Weyent, R. J., Foxman, B., & Marazita, M. L. (2017). Periodontal disease and quality of life: Impact of dental fear. Poster presented at The International Association for Dental Research Conference, San Francisco, CA 

ABCT 2016

Edwards, C. B., Wright, C. D., Randall, C. L., McNeil, D. W., Neiswanger, K., Crout, R. J., Weyent, R. J., Foxman, B., & Marazita, M. L. (2016, Oct). Fatalistic thinking and relation to general and oral health among adults in North Central Appalachia. Poster presented at Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy Conference in New York, NY.  

McNeil, D. W., Kennedy, S. G., Wright, C. D., Randall, C. L., Addicks, S. H., & Hursey, K. G. (2016, October). Further validation of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire – 9 for use in healthcare settings. Poster presented at the meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY     

ASHG 2016

Randall, C. L., McNeil, D. W., Shaffer, J. R., Crout, R. J., Weyant, R. J., & Marazita, M. L. (2016, October).   MC1R gene variation and fear related to dental care: Evidence of fear of pain as mediator. Poster presented at the meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics, Vancouver, BC.

WVPA 2016

Arias, M. C., McNeil, D. W., Petrie, R., Wright, C. D., Gallegos, J., Stephenson, D. (October, 2016). Utilizing smart phones to deliver exposure stimuli in the treatment of specific dental phobia. Poster presented at the West Virginia Psychological Association Conference, Roanoke, WV. (Note. Submission was awarded the 1st place poster award).

              

  Cameron Ford, WVU Graduate Student in the Clinical Psychology Program, Helping Matthew Arias                                         Develop Exposure Videos for His Master's Thesis 

              

                                                Psychophysiology Room in the APP Lab

Fear of Pain Questionnaire    

The Fear of Pain Questionnaire was developed as a measure of fear and anxiety associated with pain. It is intended as an assessment device that can be used broadly, across a variety of populations, whether or not individuals are experiencing current chronic or acute pain.

At 30 items for the FPQ-III and 9 items for the FPQ-SF, the scale is relatively short. The FPQ-III can be administered in ~10 minutes, and the FPQ-SF requires less than five minutes. There are numerous articles that have been published by Dr. McNeil and colleagues, as well as by completely independent researchers, attesting to the validity and reliability of these instruments.

The original article describing the development of the FPQ-III is: 
McNeil, D. W., & Rainwater, A. J., III. (1998). Development of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire – III. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21, 389-410.

The FPQ-III and FPQ-SF have public domain copyrights. Permission is given for appropriately-trained professionals to use the FPQ-III and FPQ-SF on a non-profit basis for research or clinical purposes. The only proviso is that Dr. McNeil be advised of any planned use at  dmcneil@wvu.edu and that conference presentations or publications describing its use be forwarded to Dr. McNeil. Use of the FPQ-III and FPQ-SF in private clinic settings also is encouraged; please contact Dr. McNeil for permission.

The FPQ-III, FPQ-SF, and scoring instructions for each of these instruments are available for download here: 

• Fear of Pain Questionnaire - III

• FPQ-III Scoring Instructions

• Short Form - Fear of Pain Questionnaire

• SF-FPQ Scoring Instructions

Dental Fear Interview

The Dental Fear Interview was developed as a semi-structured interview to assess dental fear, anxiety, and phobia, and to provide a measure of related avoidance behavior. It is short, can be administered in ~10 minutes, and has an available psychometric basis that attests to its validity.

The original article describing the development of the DFI is: Vrana, S., McNeil, D. W., & McGlynn, F. D. (1986). A structured interview for assessing dental fear. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 17, 175-178.

Permission is given for appropriately-trained professionals to use the DFI on a non-profit basis for research or clinical purposes. The only proviso is that Dr. McNeil be advised of any planned use at  dmcneil@wvu.edu and that conference presentations or publications describing its use be forwarded to Dr. McNeil. Use of the DFI in private clinic settings is encouraged; please contact  Dr. McNeil for permission.The DFI is available  here.