title: Clinical implications of panic symptoms in dental phobia.
abstract: The occurrence of panic symptoms in various anxiety disorders has been associated with more severely impaired and difficult-to-treat cases, but this has not been investigated in dental phobia. We examined the clinical implications of panic symptoms related to sub-clinical and clinically significant dental phobia. The sample consisted of 61 patients at a university dental clinic who endorsed symptoms of dental phobia, 25 of whom met criteria for a formal diagnosis of dental phobia. Participants with dental phobia endorsed more panic symptoms than did those with sub-clinical dental phobia. In the total sample, greater endorsement of panic symptoms was associated with higher dental anxiety, more avoidance of dental procedures, and poorer oral health-related quality of life. Among those with dental phobia, certain panic symptoms exhibited associations with specific anxiety-eliciting dental procedures. Panic symptoms may serve as indicators of clinically significant dental phobia and the need for augmented treatment.
authors.affiliation: Adult Anxiety Clinic, Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 North 13 Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: carrie.potter@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Carrie M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.affiliation: Adult Anxiety Clinic, Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 North 13 Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: dina.kinner@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Dina G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kinner
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Community Oral Health Sciences, Kornberg School of Dentistry, Temple University, 3223 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA. Electronic address: Marisol@dental.temple.edu.
authors.forename: Marisol
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tellez
authors.affiliation: Kornberg School of Dentistry, Temple University, 3223 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA. Electronic address: ismailai@dental.temple.edu.
authors.forename: Amid I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: Adult Anxiety Clinic, Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 North 13 Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: heimberg@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Heimberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D016854:Dental Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010200:Panic; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dental anxiety; Dental phobia; Oral health-related quality of life; Panic; Specific phobia