Dental anxiety – a joint interest for dentists and psychologists

This introductory article to the S ymposium on B ehavioral and C ommunity D entistry aims to describe the development of research and clinical work on dental anxiety, and includes a discussion of the historical background and the evolution since the 1970s. In view of its pioneering activities in this regard, special focus is placed on research and development at the I nstitute of O dontology of the U niversity of G othenburg, S weden.