Anxiety sensitivity: another reason to separate dental fears from blood-injury fears?

Although dental phobia is classified under the heading of blood-injury phobia, studies show differences between the two conditions in terms of frequency of fainting and gender distribution. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), which refers to discomfort and negative attributions to bodily anxiety sensations, was useful in differentiating panic anxiety from other phobic anxieties. No study has compared dental phobia with blood-injury phobia directly. We examined 61 subjects, working at a military aircraft factory, using measures on demographics, dental fears (MDAS - Modified Dental Anxiety Scale) and blood-injury fears (MBPI - Multidimensional Blood/Injury Phobia Inventory), in addition to Anxiety Sensitivity Index. Regression analyses revealed that dental phobia was predicted by ASI, whereas blood/injury phobia was not. Our results provide additional support for the proposed distinction between the two conditions.