Hypnosis in the control of pain and anxiety in Pediatric Dentistry: a literature review

Abstract

This study is a literature review on the physical and mental influence of hypnosis in pediatric patient in controlling anxiety and pain. The objective was to gather the evidence found in the analysis of articles, research and systematic reviews, in the period from 1994 to 2018. For a descriptive review were selected Internet portals as Medicine®, Pubmed, Capes, using keywords like: “hypnosis”, “pediatric dentistry”, “fear”, “anesthesia”, “anxiety”, “children”, “pain”. Descriptively and concisely, they presented relevant findings regarding associations between hypnosis and dentistry and their applications in controlling anxiety and pain. It was concluded that hypnosis could increase the cooperation of the child patient and decrease the resistance during painful dental procedures. Despite the promising results observed, hypnosis in pediatric dentistry is still seldom used. This may be due to lack of knowledge about the procedure and the absence of formal education, indicating the importance of including Hypnosis in the healthcare professionals’ curriculum and their practices.

Hypnosis in dentistry-Easing patient anxiety

“…21 In Brazil, the Federal Council of Dentistry (CFO) demands that all health professionals who want to practice hypnotherapy, are bound legally to go through updated training workshops for a minimum of 180 hours period. 22 In India also we have an Indian Hypnosis Academy that offers courses on hypnosis. 22…”

The efficacy of hypnosis compared with the tell/show/do technique for the reduction of anxiety/pain in children undergoing pulpotomies: a randomized controlled trial

“…Some of the behaviours associated with anxiety can hinder the treatment of paediatric patients, reduce patient cooperation, increase the duration of procedures, increase the need for specific resources, and generally creates an overall unpleasant experience [4,5]. The factors that cause dental anxiety can be exogenous previous and direct traumatic dental experiences; endogenous, personality traits; or indirect, nega-tive dental experiences related to family members or the media that arouse fear in a child [1,6,7]. In addition, dental anxiety is known to be related to painful stimuli and increases pain perception; therefore, patients who experience this emotion tend to manifest more pain over a longer time period [4,7,8].…”

“…The factors that cause dental anxiety can be exogenous previous and direct traumatic dental experiences; endogenous, personality traits; or indirect, nega-tive dental experiences related to family members or the media that arouse fear in a child [1,6,7]. In addition, dental anxiety is known to be related to painful stimuli and increases pain perception; therefore, patients who experience this emotion tend to manifest more pain over a longer time period [4,7,8].…”

“…It is important to familiarize the child with the environment and the instruments that will be used in the dental surgery as this will generate trust with the paediatric dentist [24]. In addition, hypnosis is considered a safe technique that allows the patient to focus on his or her inner world by including cognitive and behavioural components that allow the mind to influence perception and bodily sensation [7,28]. Hypnotic therapy can be used in a variety of clinical situations to modify the perception of symptoms such as pain, anxiety and fatigue [28,29].…”

Role of hypnosis in dental treatment: A narrative review

“…This discrepancy in recommendation of appropriate age for clinical hypnosis could be due to the varying mental age staging in children and hence chronological age should not be the sole indicator. [ 13 ] Santos et al [ 14 ] highlighted the fact that despite the promising results seen with the use of hypnosis in children, it is still underused.…”