Objectives: The aim was to examine how patients describe and perceive their dental fear (DF) in diagnostic interviews.
Material and methods: The sample consisted of dentally anxious patients according to the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), who had problems coping with conventional dental treatment. The voluntary participants (n = 7, aged 31-62 years) attended a diagnostic interview aiming to map their DF before dental treatment. The data were analysed by theory-driven qualitative content analysis. The themes consisted of the four components of DF: emotional, behavioural, cognitional, and physiological, derived from the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear.
Results: Within these four themes, treated as the main categories, 27 additional categories related to the patients' interpretations of DF were identified in three contexts: before, during and after dental treatment. 10 categories depicted difficult, uncontrollable, or ambivalent emotions; nine depicted behavioural patterns, strategies, or means; five depicted disturbing, strong, or long-lasting physiological reactions, including panic and anxiety symptoms. The remaining three categories related to cognitive components.
Conclusions: The results indicate that dental care professionals may gain comprehensive information about their patients' DF by means of four component-based diagnostic interviews. This helps them to better identify and encounter patients in need of fear-sensitive dental care.
Trial registration number: NCT02919241.
Keywords: Dental fear/anxiety; adults; cognitive behavioural therapy; diagnostic interview; qualitative content analysis.