[Guidelines for the treatment of highly anxious dental patients]

Treatment of extreme or pathological forms of dental anxiety requires specific skills. This paper is an attempt to formulate a number of treatment strategies, based on the available literature and effectiveness studies. It is suggested that based upon the assessment information three types of problem areas can be identified, namely, 1. a phobia of specific dental procedures or situations; 2. long overdue requiring acute dental treatment; and 3. intrusive or interfering psychiatric symptoms. In this article these problem situations are reviewed and several appropriate treatment options are discussed.