[The child and his dentist]

The complex symbology connected with dental pathology and the significance for the patient of his meeting with the professional figure of the dentist are considered. The results of an experiment in which a dentist, psychologist and neuropsychiatrist cooperated in order to throw light on the different psychological implications in the two basic periods of development age, pre-school and primary school, are reported. In both cases, examined on the basis of a standard questionnaire administered by the dentist, it emerged that an approach directed at affective and emotive components has the effect of minimizing the child-dentist relationship and thus aiding the dentist's work.