The need for teaching emotional behavior in dentistry.

A close doctor-patient relationship should be considered a prerequisite for successful treatment. Better communication will help the dentist to preceive a patient's fears and expectations and will provide the information that must precede diagnosis. A student should not devote his time solely to acquiring mechanical skills but should learn something of the behavioral sciences and understand emotional states. He should be able to assess a patient's ability to cooperate, adjust or reject, as well as the effect of the surgery environment on him. The patient as an individual should not be ignored. A dentist who recognizes his role in society and sees his profession as a vocation will anticipate patients' responses and deal with them more effectively and atraumatically.