Abstract
Patients with a dental phobia (DP) are suffering from a disproportional fear of (invasive) dental procedures characterized by the severity of their psychological and physiological symptoms. The phobic stimulus is avoided. To find an effective method of treating the severe dental anxiety in these patients is thus highly relevant to prevent avoidance behavior and the resulting lack of dental care.
In this review, we discuss evidence on the effectiveness of psychological treatments of dental phobias. Special emphasis was given on dental hypnosis, virtual reality exposure therapy and meditation. We critically discussed the efficacy of these treatments and -provided studies when available- on the effects of the treatments on inhibiting the reaction of the fear circuitry structures in the human brain.