The impact of dental fear on the dental attendance behaviors: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVE: The aim is to investigate the causes of dental fear and its impact on dental attendance behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A short questionnaire was distributed to participants at different dental clinics and by emails to evaluate their perceptions of dental fear. The questionnaire contained questions related to gender and age group. The remaining part of the questionnaire investigated the causes of dental fear and its impact on dental visits. RESULTS: A total of 2264 participants aged 18 years and above agreed to complete the questionnaire. There were 1177 (52%) male participants and 1095 (48%) female participants. There was a response rate of approximately 60%. Drilling tooth devices and their sounds was the option that caused the highest dental fear among the participants who had it (n = 248; 37.7%). Pain was the second most frequently chosen option to cause dental fear (n = 165; 25%). Around 70% (n = 1257) of the participants who had dental fear overcame their fear and decided to seek treatment when they experienced annoying pain. At the same time, 18% (n = 323) of them sought the treatment when they experienced slight pain and 10% (n = 180) sought the treatment once they noticed a large carious lesion. CONCLUSION: People from both genders responded similarly to dental fear, and age was not found to be a significant factor in individuals’ reactions to dental treatment. The sounds of teeth-drilling devices and related sounds may be responsible for the dental fear, as reported by many people. People with dental fear are more likely to avoid regular dental visits.