Our data are based on retrospective self-reported answers of college students. To what extent do these answers accurately reflect the feelings of an actual clinical sample of dental patients? Although there is little direct evidence, a number of observations suggest that in the area of dental anxiety, college populations closely approximate the self-reported answers of the general population. The average level of dental anxiety in an actual clinical sample also appears to be remarkably similar to the average level of dental anxiety among a sample of college students. Kleinknecht and Bernstein found that, on a 1 to 5 scale, dental patients reported a mean level of dental anxiety of 2.31, and that when the identical question was used in a college population, the average level of dental anxiety was 2.47. In our sample, the mean level of dental anxiety was a similar 2.4 on a 0 to 6 scale. Obviously, self-reported answers are subject to distortions. However, it is important that these perceptions can still have a powerful bearing on the behaviors and feelings of patients. A number of observations and hypotheses about the historical origins of dental anxiety were confirmed. Some of these findings have direct clinical implications for the prevention of dental anxiety by dentists or treatment by psychologists. For example, high dentally anxious subjects are more concerned with and feel more ashamed about telling their dentist that they are dentally anxious. It may be helpful for dentists to provide an open forum about the patient's concern.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)