Dental anxiety rife amongst female patients
Figures from the adult dental health survey have revealed that 20 percent of women suffer from extreme dental anxiety.
The survey revealed that 54 percent of women feel anxious the day before a dental appointment and 57 percent claim to feel frightened while they are waiting for their appointment at the surgery. Figures for dental anxiety are much higher amongst women than men; only 39 percent of men feel nervous the day before and 42 percent admit to being scared in the waiting room.
One in five women suffer from extreme dental anxiety and this deep-seated fear often forces them to go without dental treatment; many women admit that they put off making appointments because they are scared of going to the dentist; in contrast, figures for men with dental anxiety are around 50 percent lower.
The figures also showed that 79 percent of women would feel anxious if they were told they needed to have a tooth drilled, in comparison to 65 percent of men.
Dentists are aware that dental phobia and anxiety are very common and many now offer services and facilities to try and encourage patients to feel at ease when they go for an appointment. Dentists often encourage patients to tell them if they are nervous before the appointment so that they can make special arrangements to make them feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
Dr Nigel Carter, from the British Dental Health Foundation, said that the figures were not surprising. Dr Carter claimed that most people feel a degree of anxiety when faced with a trip to the dentist but the majority emerge with a sense of relief and a realisation that going to the dentist isn’t nearly as bad as you imagine it will be before you go.
The dental health survey also revealed a huge difference in levels of anxiety amongst different age groups; older people had much lower rates of anxiety and just 8 percent of men and women over the age of 65 claimed to experience severe dental anxiety.
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