Does fear have an adverse effect on clinical decision making?

A recent GDPUK survey showed that 60% of respondents reported that their clinical decision making was affected by fear.

Link is here: http://www.gdpuk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4881

Questions I would like answered are:

1. Are GDPs changing treatment plans (e.g. avoiding providing certain types of treatment) in response to fears?
2. How often and on what proportion of cases does this happen?
3. What are the sources of fear for GDPs?
4. Are their fears real or imagined?
5. Is the delivery of primary dental care services being compromised by fear?
6. What are the long-term effects of the stress caused by such fears on the health of GDPs?