The atraumatic restorative treatment approach: an "atraumatic" alternative.

Introduction: Fear and anxiety are part of all human experiences and they may contribute directly to a patient?s behavior. The Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) is a technique that may be an alternative approach in treating special care patients or those who suffer fear or anxiety. Objective: the aim of this paper is to review the ART technique as an alternative to reduce pain and fear during dental treatment. Materials and method: A search for the term ?atraumatic restorative treatment? was carried out in the MEDLINE search engine. References, from the last 10 years, containing at least one of the terms: ?psychological aspects?, ?discomfort?, ?fear?, ?anxiety? or ?pain?, were selected…