Dental Phobia as a Barrier to Oral Health

Abstract

Objective The objective of the study was to assess the barriers to oral health in population in Punjab Province, Pakistan. Material and Methods It was cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire-based study in which 300 people residing within the city of Lahore were selected using convenience sampling technique. Results Among 300 respondents, the majority (about 61%) had dental related problems like toothache, sensitivity, caries, gum bleeding etc. More than half (56%) of respondents visited dentist only ‘in case of pain’. 78% of respondents preferred to visit qualified dentist. 73 % of respondents paid attention on dental instruments sterilization. About 35% respondents avoided visiting dentists due to fear of infectious diseases and 62.7% avoided due to external material or tools going in their mouth. About 28% respondents were afraid of injection and majority (70%) was afraid of pain. Almost 35% respondents did not visit dentist due to long distance. Among the respondents, 31% had dental phobia. Conclusion Dental phobia is a particular form of fear that is anticipated to begin from early childhood and may or may not regress as age progresses. It acts as a barrier to dental care and treatment for a consistent proportion of the population. The study shows that dental phobia acts as a barrier in receiving dental treatments.