Managing Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety is an emotional or physical reaction to an anticipated threat of an oral health professional or dental visit.¹ Dental fear and dental phobia are often used interchangeably with dental anxiety; however, they are distinct and separate disorders. Dental fear produces a physical or psychological reaction to a perceived threat associated with the dental setting.¹ Dental phobia is an illogical, persistent, severe, and overwhelming fear of dental stimuli.^2-4 Dental phobias can be intense, yet are rarely diagnosed.

Dental anxiety is a very common psychological condition that may lead to avoiding treatment, resulting in deteriorating oral health, low self-esteem, and low oral health-related quality of life.^5,6 Avoiding dental care may lead to oral health problems, which can then lead to shame or embarrassment, increasing the likelihood of further avoidance of dental care.

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* References and figures can be found in the original article via the link above.