[The formation and persistence of a dental treatment phobia]

The anxiety which accompanies dental care may in some cases represent a disabling handicap. The authors have outlined the characteristics of this type of dental anxiety and describe the typical pattern with which "odontophobia" is formed and persists over time. This enables them to understand the "attempted solutions" used to overcome this phobia, opening the way to the study of psychological interventions which may prove efficacious and effective.