Mohammed Al-Sayed, Faisal Al-Shmrani, Abdullah Baker, Abdullah Al-Husainy, AbdulrahmanSheikho, Mohammed Al-Rajhi, Hassan M Abouelkheir

ABSTRACT

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of dental phobia and its related factors in a sample of local population of Riyadh city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods :A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 300 local population of Riyadh city, KSA. Using a Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Dental Fear Scale (DFS) was utilized to identify specific fear stimuli and reactions. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The Fisher’s exact test was used alongside the Chi-square test. Results: The top three dental phobia reported by the participants are ‘I’m more concern about teeth pain’ (n=209, 79.1%), ‘I’m worried about feeling pain after dental treatment’ (n=196, 72.8%), and ‘I had too much pain in my previous visits’ (n=172, 60.9%). Females were more likely to have dental phobia than males and this association was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion:The study concluded that dental phobia was more prevalent among females. Dental phobia may result in routine dental care being postponed, negatively affecting their oral health.