Chapter topics include the basic origins of patient fear and anxiety, how to identify dental anxiety and varied approaches to managing fearful patients of any age. Approaches discussed employ behavioral, pharmacological, sedation and even hypnotic techniques, specifying combinations where required. Chapters also include coverage of a wide range of patients, including those with psychiatric comorbidities and special healthcare needs. The entire dental team will greatly benefit from the proven methods and practical guidance presented to better understand and treat fearful dental patients.

Key Features:

• Written by practicing dentists with vast experience treating fearful patients
• Provides practical advice on how to minimize patients' anxiety and build the doctor-patient relationship
• Discusses a variety of management techniques both individually and in conjunction with other strategies
• Includes sample questionnaires for use in practice to assess levels of fear and anxiety

Author Information

Dr. Arthur Weiner has been on faculty at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine since 1968, where he has taught courses on pain control, anxiety management, panic disorders, and behavioral dentistry. He is currently director of the Behavior Science II course at Tufts and a national spokesperson for the Academy General Dentistry on fear and patient management. Dr. Weiner is a guest lecturer at several regional and national conferences. He has also spoken in the past in Australia and France and has published extensively on the subject of fear and anxiety management in numerous journals including Dental Clinics of North America and Acta Scandinavia Psychiatrica.