BDA hits out at ‘anxiety-causing’ newspaper articles on dentistry

The British Dental Association (BDA) has hit out at the media for recent stories that they believe will serve to make the public more anxious about dental treatment.

Following a number of negative headlines about dentistry in the last few days, the organisation has accused newspaper publishers of undermining the relationship of trust that needs to exist between practitioners and patients.

The Daily Mail, for example, recently ran a front-page headline on July 30th that read "Why We All Fear Dentists are Natural Born Killers", leading the BDA to decry the continued spread of "antiquated stereotypes" about the profession.

This could potentially feed into a significant problem, with one in every seven adults who has ever been to a dentist suffering from extreme dental anxiety. The most common fears associated with visiting a dentist include having a tooth drilled or a local anaesthetic injection.

Avoiding dental appointments can create a serious impact on the patient's health and to the NHS, as it means people with preventable conditions end up in hospital.

Mick Armstrong, chair of the BDA, said: "Practitioners are focusing on prevention, not intervention, and they do not want to see anxious patients given yet another reason to miss out on needed treatment."