Psychological characteristics of patients applying for treatment in a dental fear clinic

The aim of the present study was to assess psychological characteristics of highly anxious dental patients. Subjects were 321 patients (203 women) applying for treatment at a dental fear clinic in The Netherlands. Patients filled out several questionnaires to assess the amount of psychological complaints (Dutch version of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised; SCL-90) and dental anxiety (Dental Anxiety Scale, Short version of the Dental Anxiety Inventory) approximately 4 months prior to their first appointment. The total mean score on the SCL-90 for the highly 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 were 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 fear clinic are not just dentally anxious; they show complaints on a wide range of other psychological dimensions.