September JADA finds dental fear still prevalent in US

Nearly 73% of adults report they are afraid of going to dentist

Dental fear remains widespread in the U.S., according to a study published in the September issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

The cover story, “A Census-Matched Survey of Dental Fear and Fear-Treatment Interest in the United States,” examined survey responses from a demographically representative sample of 1,003 U.S. adults and found 72.6% were afraid of going to the dentist, with 45.8% saying their fear was moderate and 26.8% saying it was severe.

Among fearful people, 71.2% reported they would be interested in receiving free online treatment lasting one to three hours long to address their dental fear. Those who turned down treatment cited skepticism about its effectiveness, satisfaction with their current coping strategies, and concerns it would not be worth their time as their main reasons for declining.

To the study authors’ knowledge, this was the first national study on dental fear and the only one designed to be demographically representative of the U.S. population.

“Dental fear remains widespread in the United States, suggesting little progress in prevalence reduction,” the authors said in the study. “The high interest in digital treatment indicates demand for accessible interventions. Brief digital dental fear treatments offer potential for widespread dissemination. Public health messaging must address skepticim about treatment effectiveness and value among the fearful patients not yet interested.”

Other articles in the September issue of JADA discuss mandibular overdentures, electrochemically activated solutions for dental unit waterlines, and acute isolated ptosis following dental treatment.

Every month, JADA articles are published online at JADA.ADA.org. ADA members can access JADA content with their ADA username and password.