Prevalence of dental fear and phobia relative to other fear and phobia subtypes.

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the point prevalence of dental fear and dental phobia relative to 10 other common fears and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV-TR subtypes of specific phobia. Data were also analysed to examine differences with regard to severity, presence of distressing recollections of fear-related events, gender, and prevalence across age. Data were obtained by means of a survey of 1,959 Dutch adults, 18-93 yr of age. Phobias were assessed based on DSM-IV-TR criteria, whereas severity of present fears was assessed using visual analogue scales. The prevalence of dental fear was 24.3%, which is lower than for fear of snakes (34.8%), heights (30.8%), and physical injuries (27.2%). Among phobias, dental phobia was the most common (3.7%), followed by height phobia (3.1%) and spider phobia (2.7%). Fear of dental treatment was associated with female gender, rated as more severe than any other fear, and was most strongly associated with intrusive re-experiencing (49.4%). The findings suggest that dental fear is a remarkably severe and stable condition with a long duration. The high prevalence of dental phobia in the Netherlands is intriguing and warrants investigation in other countries.

[1]  J. Lépine,et al.  The European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project: an epidemiological basis for informing mental health policies in Europe , 2004, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[2]  F. Mazzi,et al.  Disability and quality of life impact of mental disorders in Europe: results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project , 2004, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[3]  A. de Jongh,et al.  Treatment of specific phobias with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): protocol, empirical status, and conceptual issues. , 1999, Journal of anxiety disorders.

[4]  J. Goodall.  PANIC AND PHOBIA , 1959 .

[5]  O. Vassend.  Anxiety, pain and discomfort associated with dental treatment. , 1993, Behaviour research and therapy.

[6]  F. Mazzi,et al.  Prevalence of mental disorders in Europe: results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project , 2004, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[7]  N. Brand,et al.  Trauma-related phenomena in anxious dental patients. , 2003, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[8]  B. Grant,et al.  The epidemiology of DSM-IV specific phobia in the USA: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions , 2007, Psychological Medicine.

[9]  M. First,et al.  The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II). , 2004 .

[10]  G C Curtis,et al.  Specific fears and phobias. Epidemiology and classification. , 1998, The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science.

[11]  R. Bland.  Psychiatric Disorders in America: The Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study , 1992 .

[12]  M M Weissman,et al.  Lifetime prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders in three sites. , 1984, Archives of general psychiatry.

[13]  D. Locker,et al.  Correlates of Dental Anxiety Among Older Adults , 1991, Journal of dental research.

[14]  S. Holst,et al.  Dental anxiety--an epidemiological study on its clinical correlation and effects on oral health. , 2006, Journal of oral rehabilitation.

[15]  K. Woodmansey.  The Prevalence of Dental Anxiety in Patients of a University Dental Clinic , 2005, Journal of American college health : J of ACH.

[16]  L. Carstensen,et al.  Emotion and aging: experience, expression, and control. , 1997, Psychology and aging.

[17]  S. Seedat.  Origins of Phobias and Anxiety Disorders: Why More Women Than Men , 2004 .

[18]  Rod Moore,et al.  The contribution of embarrassment to phobic dental anxiety: a qualitative research study , 2004, BMC psychiatry.

[19]  G. Davey,et al.  Phobias: A Handbook of Theory, Research and Treatment , 2000, Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.

[20]  J. Hoogstraten,et al.  Appraisal of dental anxiety and fear questionnaires: a review. , 1993, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[21]  D. Altman,et al.  Multiple significance tests: the Bonferroni method , 1995, BMJ.

[22]  F. J. Zuuren,et al.  Trauma-related sequelae in individuals with a high level of dental anxiety. Does this interfere with treatment outcome? , 2002, Behaviour research and therapy.

[23]  M. Craske.  Why more women than men , 2003 .

[24]  Olga V. Demler,et al.  Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. , 2005, Archives of general psychiatry.

[25]  M. Hakeberg,et al.  Prevalence of dental anxiety in an adult population in a major urban area in Sweden. , 1992, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[26]  G. Braemer.  International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. Tenth revision. , 1988, World health statistics quarterly. Rapport trimestriel de statistiques sanitaires mondiales.

[27]  T. Hällström,et al.  Prevalence of dentistry phobia and its relation to missing teeth, alveolar bone loss and dental care habits in an urban community sample , 1984, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[28]  I. Aartman,et al.  What are people afraid of during dental treatment? Anxiety-provoking capacity of 67 stimuli characteristic of the dental setting. , 2008, European journal of oral sciences.

[29]  C. Reynolds,et al.  Age-related differences and change in positive and negative affect over 23 years. , 2001, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[30]  N. L. Corah,et al.  Development of a Dental Anxiety Scale , 1969, Journal of dental research.

[31]  U. Berggren,et al.  Dental fear and avoidance: causes, symptoms, and consequences. , 1984, Journal of the American Dental Association.

[32]  D. Segal,et al.  Comprehensive handbook of psychological assessment, Vol. 2: Personality assessment. , 2004 .

[33]  David A. Sylvester,et al.  The epidemiology of common fears and phobia. , 1969, Comprehensive psychiatry.

[34]  Dwight R. Klrkpatrick.  Age, gender and patterns of common intense fears among adults , 1984 .

[35]  E. Nicolas,et al.  A national cross-sectional survey of dental anxiety in the French adult population , 2007, BMC oral health.

[36]  H Fischer,et al.  Gender and age differences in the prevalence of specific fears and phobias. , 1996, Behaviour research and therapy.

[37]  G. Slade,et al.  Cognitive vulnerability and dental fear , 2008, BMC oral health.

[38]  F. Scheutz,et al.  Prevalence and characteristics of dental anxiety in Danish adults. , 1993, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[39]  J. Hoogstraten,et al.  Prevalence of dental anxiety in The Netherlands. , 1990, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[40]  L E Burns,et al.  The epidemiology of fears and phobias in general practice. , 1980, The Journal of international medical research.

[41]  J. Hoogstraten,et al.  The Fear of Dental Pain questionnaire: construction and validity. , 2003, European journal of oral sciences.

[42]  M. Lassen.  Fears and phobias. , 1986, RDH.

[43]  P. Milgrom,et al.  Common fears and their relationship to dental fear and utilization of the dentist. , 1989, Anesthesia progress.

[44]  R. Graaf,et al.  Specific fears and phobias in the general population: Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS) , 2008, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

[45]  N. Enkling,et al.  Dental anxiety in a representative sample of residents of a large German city , 2006, Clinical Oral Investigations.

[46]  M. Craske.  Origins of Phobias and Anxiety Disorders: Why More Women than Men? , 2003 .

[47]  R. Bijl,et al.  Prevalence of psychiatric disorder in the general population: results of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS) , 1998, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

[48]  M. Hamdan,et al.  Dental caries experience in Jordanian and English schoolchildren. , 1993, Community dental health.

[49]  J. Hoogstraten,et al.  The Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire (LOE-DEQ): a measure of severity of exposure to distressing dental events. , 2008, European journal of oral sciences.

[50]  R. Gatchel,et al.  The prevalence of dental fear and avoidance: a recent survey study. , 1983, Journal of the American Dental Association.

[51]  C. N. Brorn,et al.  WHO? , 1896 .

[52]  D. Segal.  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) , 2010 .

[53]  Anirvan S. Nandy,et al.  Population Statistics , 1937, Nature.

[54]  J. T. Newton,et al.  Behavioural dentistry: The impact of dental anxiety on daily living , 2000, British Dental Journal.

[55]  J. H. Vermaire,et al.  Dental anxiety and quality of life: the effect of dental treatment. , 2008, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[56]  U. Berggren.  Psychosocial effects associated with dental fear in adult dental patients with avoidance behaviours , 1993 .

[57]  D. Locker,et al.  Gender and age differences in attitudes to dental pain and dental control. , 1997, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[58]  J. Emerson.  Phobias , 1968, Mental health.

[59]  A. Jongh,et al.  Psychological trauma exposure and trauma symptoms among individuals with high and low levels of dental anxiety. , 2006, European journal of oral sciences.

[60]  Eliot R. Smith,et al.  Research methods in social relations , 1962 .

[61]  H. Wittchen,et al.  Size and burden of mental disorders in Europe—a critical review and appraisal of 27 studies , 2005, European Neuropsychopharmacology.

[62]  N. Malleson.  PANIC AND PHOBIA , 1959 .

[63]  P. Lichtenstein,et al.  A longitudinal twin study of fears from middle childhood to early adulthood: evidence for a developmentally dynamic genome. , 2008, Archives of general psychiatry.

[64]  Ronald C Kessler,et al.  The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS‐R): background and aims , 2004, International journal of methods in psychiatric research.

[65]  Lee N. Robins,et al.  Psychiatric Disorders in America: The Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study , 1990 .