Problems with defining dental phobia

One problem with defining dental phobia is that "dental anxiety" (a reaction to an unknown danger) may feel just as frightening as a "phobia" to a person, and they may well be defined (or define themselves) as phobic. From what little research there is available, this may be more common in people who are generally anxious. Also, some people who've never had a bad experience with a dentist or a dental procedure can develop dental fear or phobia - this is usually the result of vicarious learning (that is, scare-stories or media portrayal).

I like to think that "dental phobia" is simply useful short-hand for "terror at the thought of dentists and/or dentistry and/or anything dental-related". Some people feel that their fear is justified and rational, while others feel they're being silly for getting so upset over something which "everyone else" seems to have no problem with. "Dental Phobia" is really an umbrella term which covers a wide range of different fears, as you'll see on the "Common Fears" pages. It would also appear that there are some fairly distinct subtypes of dental phobia, such as needle phobia or terror at the thought of gagging and being sick.