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"From what I've read and observed, I'd say that about 80 - 85% of dental phobias result from traumatic dental experiences ..."

I'd love to know where your stats come from.

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Try PubMed.
e.g. Behav Res Ther. 1991;29(1):51-60. Manifestations, acquisition and diagnostic categories of dental fear in a self-referred population.
Moore R, Brodsgaard I, Birn H.

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As a statistician, I'd say, the 80-85% would thrill (and inform) any researcher who handed out a questionnaire, vs. the remaining number that might suffer from.. "generalized anxiety disorder/panic disorder/agoraphobia or fear the dentist because the situation reminds them of past sexual, physical or emotional abuse" especially without any supporting evidence.

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I know there are problems with stats when investigating a topic like dental phobia (after all, the worst cases will never seek treatment, and anyone who's not motivated in some way will avoid treatment at all costs). Information comes from institutes such as the University of Washington's Dental Fears Research Clinic.

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I don't necessarily doubt your hypothesis, it's just that there isn't any supporting evidence (to my knowledge) anywhere...such as, persons of sexual abuse who resolve their issues, feel magically ok at the dentist's office.

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I don't think I mentioned anywhere that persons who have been sexually abused magically feel ok at the dentist's office once they've resolved their issues. Maybe my memory is letting me down, though.

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However, L C, being as you are not on a "normal" board here, I would encourage you to not assume that our disorders or dis-eases (or whatever) make us dentally-challenged. I am not saying that is your assumption, I'm just thinking you might as a 'normal' may have a different take on things, unless you also have some dis-ease with which you are dealing.

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Not anymore, but thanks for asking. I didn't mean to imply that certain conditions or dis-eases make people dentally challenged, just that there is a statistical correlation between dental phobia and certain other conditions (see, for example, Treating Fearful Dental Patients: A Patient Management Handbook 2nd Edition, Revised, by Peter Milgrom, Philip Weinstein, and Tracy Getz 1995).

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I would like to see some serious research into the issue. And every time I've suggested it in the last few decades, dentists are backing up as fast as they can. Even a simple survey/questionnaire! Go figure!

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It's hard to do research into a topic when sufferers avoid treatment at all costs. I would have a problem with the existing research as well concerning how participants are selected and recruited. Still, there's plenty of research being carried out considering these limitations. Check out PubMed or scholar.google.com.