Towards a better understanding of dental anxiety and fear: cognitions vs. experiences

• Published in: European journal of oral sciences 2010-06, Vol.118 (3), p.259-264
• Main Author: Armfield, Jason M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; anxiety; Attitude to Health; Australia; Cognition; cognitions; Dental Anxiety - psychology; Dental Care - psychology; dental fear; Dentist-Patient Relations; Dentistry; Emotions; experiences; Female; Gagging; Humans; Internal-External Control; Male; Pain - psychology; perceptions; Syncope - psychology
• ISSN: 0909-8836; 1600-0722
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.2010.00740.x

Armfield JM. Towards a better understanding of dental anxiety and fear: cognitions vs. experiences. Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 259–264. © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © 2010 Eur J Oral Sci Traumatic dental experiences are associated with dental anxiety and fear. However, many people with no dental fear have had negative dental experiences, and some people with considerable fear fail to recall any traumatic incidents. This study aimed to determine whether dental fear was better explained by experiences or by cognitive perceptions of going to the dentist as being uncontrollable, unpredictable, dangerous, and disgusting. A random sample of 1,084 Australian adults (response rate = 71.7%) completed a mailed questionnaire with measures of dental fear, perceptions of going to the dentist, and dental experiences. Perceptions of uncontrollability, unpredictability, dangerousness, and disgustingness had strong bivariate associations with scores on the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF‐4C). Vulnerability‐related perceptions accounted for 46.3% of the variance in IDAF‐4C scores beyond that accounted for by demographic variables and five possible dental experiences comprising intense pain, considerable discomfort, gagging, fainting, and having a personal problem with the dentist. In contrast, dental experiences accounted for