Theoretical-conceptual clarifications on dental phobia

Abstract

Dental phobia is defined as a persistent, unrealistic reaction to a specific dental stimulus that results in partial or complete avoidance of the perceived danger. A person with dental phobia will avoid dental care at all costs until the physical problem or psychological burden of the phobia becomes unbearable. This phobia, in itself, causes a lot of stress and a negative impact on other aspects of the dentophobic patient’s life. Dental fear, it is described, as of lower intensity than dental phobia and is a protective reaction to some danger suggested by the dental environment. The literature also describes dental anxiety as a reaction to an unknown danger. Most people experience some degree of dental anxiety, especially if they are about to have something done to them that has never been done to them before in the dental office.