Music distraction - its efficacy in management of anxious pediatric dental patients

Abstract

Managing the anxiety of pediatric dental patient has long been the purview of dentists over many years. Various techniques have been used with moderate and variant success rates over the last few years. The main aim of this study was to ascertain if music distraction is an effective means of managing anxiety in pediatric dental patients. Forty children aged between 4 and 8 years were selected for the study. The assessment of anxiety was done using Venham's picture test, Venham's anxiety rating scale, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation during different treatment visits. The values were statistically analyzed and it was concluded that audio distraction did decrease the anxiety level in pediatric dental patients, but not to a very significant level.

Effectiveness of Distraction Techniques in The Management of Anxious Children in the Dental Operatory

“…Active forms of distraction promote a child's participation involving several sensory components such as interactive toys, virtual reality, controlled breathing, guided imagery and relaxation [14][15][16][17]; conversely, passive forms achieve distraction through a child's observation of an activity or stimulus rather than their explicit partaking for example listening to music, watching television (TV) [18][19][20]. Passive distraction technique used in this study was watching of cartoon shows and the active technique used was playing of video games on mobile phone.…”

Child’s Behavior and its Relationship with the Level of Maternal-Child Anxiety During Dental Care

“…Thus, the success of dental care is in the way the pediatric dentistry deals with emotional issues, the degree of knowledge about fear and anxiety, and the interpretation of the child's behavior [15][16][17][18]. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between child's behavior and level of prior maternal and child's anxiety during dental care.…”

“…In addition, therapies such as music therapy, aromatherapy and chromotherapy have increasingly been applied for prevention and treatment of childhood anxiety [15][16][17][18]. Children who require specialized behavioral management techniques can be identified by non-verbal activities prior to dental consultation, such as freehand drawing [19].…”

Music in the Dental Office – Preferences of Budapest Inhabitants

“…In addition, the fact that music has a considerable effect on coping with stress and promoting relaxation has already been proven in numerous studies [3,4,8,9].…”

“…The analgetic effect of music may be achieved by means of auditory factors in several ways, such as: direct suppression of neurological pain, masking the sound of the dental drill, distracting from the dental procedure, providing the impression of being more in control due to the possibility of controlling the volume and type of music [9].…”