A hospital based study was conducted to investigate the major causes of establishment of phobia established in the childhood
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the dental phobia in adults acquired during childhood.
METHODOLOGY: A questionnaire was completed and data was collected from 60 patients (age 16-40) who were afraid to have dental treatment due to some negative and traumatic experience during early childhood. The data was analyzed using SPSS 19.0 and Microsoft excel.
RESULTS: A total of 60 patients aged 16-40 were evaluated, of which 32 were male and 28 were female. The average anxiety level for male and female was the same and there was no significant gender difference. Majority (58%) developed phobia when they were treated at 5-6 years of age. Majority of respondents developed phobia at government hospital (53%). Endodontic treatment (43%) and exodontia (38%) were the most fear provoking procedures.
CONCLUSION: Treatment at young age, treatment at government hospital and endodontic treatment were most frequent reasons for childhood phobia among study participants.
Key words: Dental Phobia, Dental treatment, Pediatric dentistry, behavior management
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