title: Psychiatric diagnoses among self-referred dental injection phobics.
abstract: In order to determine the psychiatric characteristics of people with dental injection phobia. 118 dental injection phobics were systematically assessed using a structured clinical interview and a written questionnaire. Fifty-four percent of subjects had a current Axis I diagnosis other than dental injection phobia, mainly anxiety, mood or adjustment disorder, and 68.6% of subjects had an additional lifetime Axis I diagnosis. Subjects with additional current Axis I diagnoses reported higher dental anxiety, greater severity of injection fear cognitions, and poorer relationships with dental professionals, than did subjects without any or with past Axis I diagnoses. Further investigation is needed to explore the treatment possibilities for patients with and without additional current diagnoses.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington Institute of Dentistry, Seattle, USA. kaakko@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaakko
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Coldwell
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Getz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milgrom
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Roy-Byrne
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ramsay
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires