Brian Chanpong, a dental anesthesia practitioner in Vancouver, Canada, who worked on the study revealed the loophole, "Women are more likely to be honest about their feelings. The typical male would be less likely to admit to being afraid of the dentist."
The study reveals women are 2.5 times more likely to fear a visit to the dentist than men; researchers believe the finding is flawed, however, taking into consideration mens' likelihood to subdue their true fears.
According to Chanpong and his colleagues, men can in fact be real wimps.
Daniel Hass, a professor of dentistry involved in the study admitted, "It's the young, healthy males who are the ones who often faint in the dental office."
The study surveyed 1,100 Canadians, revealing 5.5 percent were very afraid of seeing a dentist, and about half of those had cancelled or avoided a dental appointment as a result - suggesting that more than 400,000 of Canada's population may not have visited the dentist last year due to fear or anxiety.
According to LiveScience, the research is published in the June issue of the journal Anesthesia Progress.
