Does this video help address your fears?

[griggsey02]

See this latest video from the NHS aiming to get 18-25 year olds to go to the dentist...

Watch out it's a little bit racy so may not be family viewing.

What do you think? Do you think this will help encourage people to see the dentist?

 

[letsconnect]

Well, from the perspective of someone who has dental problems due to fear and avoidance, basically the video would say: "You're disgusting, you should be ashamed of yourself, and nobody will want to enter into a sexual relationship with you with the state you're in. Now get yourself off to a dentist!!"

Do I think this will help encourage people with a dental phobia to see the dentist? Do cows meow? Obviously not - all it would do is to make people feel bad about themselves and lower their self-esteem.

Having said that, the video isn't targeted at people with dental fears, but at young adults who may not have time to see a dentist during working hours, and it was created to let them know about the availability of an NHS after-hours service in Northamptonshire. It probably works well enough for the target group, judging from the comments underneath the youtube video.

Still, one would have wished that the creators of this video would have taken the feelings of people with dental phobias into account .

 

[brit]

Having said that, the video isn't targeted at people with dental fears, but at young adults who may not have time to see a dentist during working hours, and it was created to let them know about the availability of an NHS after-hours service in Northamptonshire. It probably works well enough for the target group, judging from the comments underneath the youtube video.

Still, one would have wished that the creators of this video would have taken the feelings of people with dental phobias into account .

Wow - I think you are right it's not phobics who are the target, just 'lazy' young people who haven't prioritised dental care despite it being so cheap in UK. The whole vampire thing sits with the trend for vampire tv shows, novels etc etc so can see why they did it. A shame some equate dentistry with gothic horror - this undermines the message and may be even provokes more fear by linking dentists with vampires, blood etc

I am old enough to remember the 'she smells like an old ashtray' anti-smoking ads....not sure this is a good approach for dental care though and am surprised an NHS ad would be so err 'sexy and gothic'.

It could have been improved with an ending actually showing the vampire visiting his 'stressfree local NHS practice' lol. Or her being less disgusted and morphing into a sexy cool NHS dentist who 'helps him' rather than expressing such extreme disgust.

 

[kitkat]

As a 22 year old (with chronic dental anxiety not phobia) I can give you an expert opinion which is: No, it would not. I got the same message that Lets got from it...However, the video got really great responses on Youtube so I guess it did some good in the world. But with the high percentage of people with dental phobia, they really should be more sensitive as they are potentially driving away one population in the attempt of attracting another. And the population being driven away would be the population that needs the MOST encouragement...why not make a vid that encourages both populations, since they do overlap (as exhibited by said self)?