Iha. Aartman et al., PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS APPLYING FOR TREATMENT IN ADENTAL FEAR CLINIC, European journal of oral sciences, 105(5), 1997, pp. 384-388
The aim of the present study was to assess psychological characteristi
cs of highly anxious dental patients. Subjects were 321 patients (203
women) applying for treatment at a dental fear clinic in The Netherlan
ds. Patients filled out several questionnaires to assess the amount of
psychological complaints (Dutch version of the Symptom Checklist 90-R
evised; SCL-90) and dental anxiety (Dental Anxiety Scale, Short versio
n of the Dental Anxiety Inventory) approximately 4 months prior to the
ir first appointment. The total mean score on the SCL-90 for the highl
y anxious patients was 142.7 (SD=47.2) for men and 166.5 (SD=64.3) for
women. The SCL-90 total score and the mean scores of all subscales we
re significantly higher, and above the 80th percentile for most of the
subscales, than the mean scores of the Dutch general population. The
results indicate that patients who apply for treatment at a dental fea
r clinic are not just dentally anxious; they show complaints on a wide
range of other psychological dimensions.