Survey Shows People Are More Scared of Root Canals Than Spiders and Snakes

CHICAGO — A recent survey by the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) shows more people (59%) are afraid of getting a root canal than speaking in public (57%), spiders (55%) or being trapped in an elevator (54%).

The October 2019 survey of 1,000 US adults also found that when given the option of a root canal or another activity:

• 57% would rather spend 1 hour in a room with 10 spiders.
• 54% would rather sing the national anthem at a sports game.
• 53% would rather have a snake in their lap for 15 minutes.
• 41% would rather go swimming with sharks.

Fear of root canals is even greater for young people, where 73% of 18- to 24-year-olds would rather speak in public, and 71% percent would rather run a marathon than get a root canal. Forty-seven percent of 18- to 24-olds said they would even rather go swimming with sharks than get a root canal.

As trick or treaters get ready to indulge in large amounts of Halloween candy, the study also asked: What’s the safest candy for your teeth? Only 19% of respondents were able to identify chocolate as one of the safest candies for your teeth, and just over one in five (22.5%) of 18- to 24-year-olds was able to identify “gummy candy” as being the worst for your teeth. Meanwhile 68.1% of those 65 and older successfully ranked sugarless candy as one of the safest options, compared to only 39.5% of those who are 25- to 34-years old.

Other interesting findings from the Halloween study include:

• 65% of women are afraid of root canals, compared to 53% of men who are afraid of root canals.
• 77% of 55- to 64-year olds would rather spend one hour in a room with 10 spiders than get a root canal.

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