By Mary Otto
Why are people afraid of the dentist? That was the question that three British researchers sought to answer in a recent review of internationally published studies on dental fear, dental anxiety judgment and dental phobia.
The answer to the question is complicated, the reviewers found. Dental fears may be traced back to a variety of sources, including frightening early dental visits, anxieties transmitted by parents and other role models, traumatic experiences unrelated to dental care and personality traits that may make some people more vulnerable to anxiety, according to studies that were reviewed.
Some of the studies also explored the role that dental fear can play in poor oral health outcomes. Researchers described a “vicious cycle” of fear, avoidance of care, declining oral health and shame.
Authors of the review concluded that more study is needed to gain a deeper understanding of dental fear and its impacts and to help oral health providers better reach patients who are suffering and afraid.
“Dental anxiety and dental phobia represent points on a continuum and may reflect complex psychological problems that have significant effects on the lives of the individuals that suffer from them, whether they cause avoidance, increased dental caries or poor oral health-related quality of life,” they noted. “Therefore, it is necessary to consider how best to treat dental anxiety and phobia to prevent poor oral health in the future.”
In a 2016 piece, “Drilling Down on Dental Fears,” in the American Psychological Association publication Monitor on Psychology, Rebecca A. Clay took a more detailed look at the cognitive-behavioral approaches that psychologists use to help patients learn to calm themselves before dental visits. The therapy’s goal is “replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.”
Clay sought out Daniel W. McNeil, a professor of psychology and clinical professor of dental practice and rural health at West Virginia University. McNeil, who serves on NIDCR’s National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council also participated in the recent NIDCR dental fear workshop.
For Clay’s piece, McNeil spoke of the variety of worries that a dental visit may elicit, including anxiety about being trapped, fear of injections or seeing blood.
Popular culture’s frequent depictions of oral health services as traumatic or scary may also stoke dental fears, McNeil observed.
“I heard an ad on the radio once that said refinancing your mortgage shouldn’t be as painful as a root canal,” he noted.
