[The history of pain control in dentistry in The Netherlands]

Pain control in The Netherlands used to be in the hands of surgeons. Dentists were not allowed to use any drugs which could have a general effect. In the Anglo-Saxon countries dentists and anaesthesiologists working together since 1846 have achieved a high standard of pain control. Anaesthesiology has been recognised in The Netherlands only since 1948. The advantages of a sequence of possibilities for pain control have since become available for dentistry in The Netherlands.