The Efficacy of Little Lovely Dentist, Dental Song, and Tell-Show-Do Techniques in Alleviating Dental Anxiety in Paediatric Patients: A Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction. Dental anxiety is a common occurrence in patients undergoing dental treatments, especially in children. The success in paedriatric dental treatments and patient comfort depends on controlling the level of patient’s anxiety in clinical settings. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of different techniques applied for the reduction of dental anxiety in paediatric patients. Material and Methods. One hundred and sixty participants were divided into 4 groups; each group having 40 patients as follows: group I: mobile application “little lovely dentist,” group II: YouTube® “dental video songs,” group III “tell-show-do,” and group IV “control.” Dental prophylaxis treatments were provided to all the participants. Initial anxiety levels were noted during the patient’s education phase by measuring heart rate with pulse oximeter and distress level with facial image scale, at the same time in each group, respectively. The postoperative anxiety was noted later with the same methods, after the application of anxiety reduction techniques. The data obtained were entered in the statistical package for the social sciences software, version 25. One-way ANOVA and paired t -test for matched groups were used to compare mean values of the 4 groups, in this study to determine their effectiveness. A p value of ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results. The mean age of patients in group 1 was 6.8 ± 2.1 years, group 2: 8.15 ± 2.27 years, group 3: 7.5 ± 2.3 years, and group 4: 7.27 ± 1.68 years. The intragroup comparisons of heart rate and facial image scores have shown a significant difference in before and after dental treatment procedures. Marked reduction in heart rate and facial image scale scores were found in patients belonging to group 1 (mobile applications) and group 2 (dental video songs). An increase in heart rate and facial image scale scores was seen in group 3 (tell-show-do) and the control group. Conclusion. The paediatric dental anxiety is a common finding in dental clinics. Behavior modification techniques like smartphone applications, “little lovely dentist,” and “dental songs” can alleviate dental anxiety experienced by paediatric patients. The “tell-show-do” technique although most commonly used did not prove to be beneficial in the reduction of the anxiety levels.

Effectiveness of the tell-play-do technique in comparison to the tell-show-do technique for the management of anxious children: A randomized controlled trial

“…The frequency and percentage values for FLACC scores in different groups are presented in Table (1). There was a significant difference in behavior change between both groups (p<0.001), with most of the cases in group A [10(58.8%)] being relaxed and comfortable and most of the cases in group B [7(41.2%)] having mild discomfort during extraction.…”

Management of Post-Traumatic Dental Care Anxiety in Pediatric Dental Practice—A Clinical Study

“…Therefore, dentists should be cognizant of the fact that the first dental experience of a child usually determines their future willingness to undergo dental treatments. Thus, it is important to avoid giving children traumatic dental experiences that induce post-traumatic dental care anxiety (PTDA) in clinical practices [ 10 , 11 ]. Practical communication dexterity and connection with the patient are essential to provide painless dental treatment to pediatric patients in order to cope with dental fear and anxiety at an early age.…”

“…At the same time, parents should be informed about mobile applications demonstrating to children how various dental treatments are performed. Furthermore, it can be advised that children can watch cartoons and/or play games about oral and dental health before coming to the dental clinic [ 10 ]. Consulting with a specialist who is educated and experienced in the dental treatments of children is also important.…”

Does the Efficacy of Behavior Management Techniques Differ Between Children From Single-Child and Multi-Child Families?: A Quasi-Experimental Study

“…Behavior management techniques (BMTs) are applied to alleviate fear and anxiety, especially in children, which are considered integral components in pediatric dentistry ( 15 ). Previous studies have demonstrated that BMTs were effective to alleviate dental anxiety, such as music distraction (MD) ( 16 ), audiovisual distraction (AVD) ( 17 ), Tell show do (TSD)( 18 ), “little lovely dentist” ( 19 ), and so on. It was suggested that combined BMTs for reducing anxiety in children have a better result rather than a single procedure alone ( 20 ).…”