In vivo exposure therapy for the treatment of an adult needle phobic

Fear of dentistry and the inability to receive routine dental treatment due to dental anxiety are widespread problems.1 Of adults in the UK, 36% experience moderate dental anxiety and 12% experience extreme dental anxiety.2

The terms dental anxiety and dental phobia are often used interchangeably. However, there are important differences between the two. Dental phobia is classified as a ‘Specific Phobia’. This is a ‘marked and persistent fear of clearly discernible, circumscribed objects or situations’.3 Patients are aware that their fear is excessive and irrational, and the phobic stimulus is avoided at all costs or endured with great distress. The main difference between dental anxiety and dental phobia is the impact it has on normal functioning. In order to be classified as a dental phobia, the avoidance, anxious anticipation or distress in feared situations has to interfere significantly with the individual's occupational or social functioning.