Scientists unravel reasons for dental fear

Anxious patients four times more likely to experience pain than non-anxious patients, according to a recent survey. Now researchers in Japan believe they are closer to an answer after scanning people's brains while playing them sounds of dental drills and suction instruments. People who were terrified of visits to the dentist showed marked differences in their brain responses compared with those who were more relaxed at the prospect, according to work reported at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego.
