Dental phobia among Saudis

This study compares dental fear and phobias among patients attending: (1) primary care dental clinics, or (2) specialist dental clinics, or (3) nondental clinics. Of 853 patients, 539 from dental clinics and 314 from nondental clinics were interviewed in a structured interview. Patients from primary dental clinics and from specialist dental clinics did not differ. However, nondental clinic patients had more dental phobia and more avoidance of dental clinics. Dental clinic patients had more chronic dental problems than did nondental clinic attenders. Dental phobia was much more common among women, whose onset age was younger than in men, and the phobia interfered greatly with dental care. Dental phobics had fainted more often during dental treatment, had more chronic dental problems, more family history of dental phobia, and more blood and specific phobias. Most of the dental phobics reported dental trauma before the fear started.