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

Non-pharmacological interventions for reducing dental anxiety in pediatric dentistry: a network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Child dental anxiety is a prevalent issue in the field of pediatric dentistry. At present, several non-pharmacological interventions are employed to mitigate anxiety during dental treatments for children. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of diverse non-pharmacological interventions in reducing dental anxiety, as well as enhancing heart rate during pediatric dental treatments. To achieve this, we conducted a systematic review and a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy of various outcome indicators.

METHODS

A thorough search was conducted in the databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, and AMED to identify all eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the beginning of the databases up to August 1, 2024. The quality assessment was carried out using the Cochrane Collaboration's bias risk tool. The two outcome measures under consideration were dental anxiety and heart rate. Network graphs, league tables and SUCRA were constructed using R 4.2.3 software and Stata 16 software. This study is registered in PROSPERO under the registration number CRD42023467610.

RESULTS

The study examined 12 different non-pharmacological approaches, drawing from a pool of 61 research studies involving 6,113 participants aged 4 to 16 years. The results of the network meta-analysis revealed that music (SUCRAs: 93.60%) proved to be the most effective measure in mitigating dental anxiety, followed by aromatherapy (SUCRAs: 78.58%) and game (SUCRAs: 70.99%). Moreover, hypnosis (SUCRAs: 98.80%), music (SUCRAs: 79.58%), and relaxation (SUCRAs: 72.41%) were identified as the top three interventions for decreasing heart rate.

CONCLUSION

In this NMA, when contemplating dental anxiety outcomes, music is recommended as a priority. For heart rate outcomes, hypnosis may be a preferred measure. However, owing to the limited number of articles, the conclusion of this study still requires additional confirmation or correction through more high-quality primary studies in the future.

The efficacy of iatrosedation and music listening techniques in attenuating dental anxiety in patients undergoing dental crown preparation: A randomized clinical trial

Dental anxiety is a common problem encountered in dental clinics that affects both patients and dentists. Adequate management of dental anxiety is critical for optimal treatment outcomes for the patient. This study aims to assess the efficacy of two anxiety-reduction techniques (iatrosedation and music listening) for dental crown preparation in adult patients. In this clinical trial, 60 patients were randomly assigned to three groups: Group 1, iatrosedation; Group 2, music listening; and Group 3, control. Patients in all three groups underwent dental crown preparation. To measure the anxiety levels of the patients, heart rate was calculated using a pulse oximeter, and verbal rating scale scores were assessed. One-way analysis of variance, post hoc analysis, and Spearman's correlation were used to compare the mean values of the three groups. Significant differences were observed in the heart rate and verbal rating scale scores among individuals in the study groups. A more substantial reduction in anxiety levels was found in patients exposed to iatrosedation (Group 1), which was followed by music listening (Group 2). Recorded heart rate and verbal rating scores were the highest in the control group patients. The iatrosedation technique significantly reduced dental anxiety for patients undergoing dental crown treatment; however, music listening was less effective than iatrosedation. Educating patients regarding the dental care they are about to receive is vital for reducing their anxiety.

Special Characteristics of Alpha Generation Children Behavior in Dentistry: A Literature Review

Technological developments and advances have influenced the emergence of a new generation, known as Generation Alpha. This generation comprises those born between 2010 and 2025. Born into a digital-savvy era, this generation has different characteristics from previous generations. This study aims to identify their special characteristics so that an approach can be taken, especially in managing children of the alpha generation in dentistry. A systematic search for articles, published between 2013 and 2023 analyzing the characteristics and behavior of the alpha generation and management behavior found in dentistry was conducted through PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, and EBSCO. The final analysis was carried out on 47 articles consisting of 10 articles discussing the characteristics of the alpha generation in general and 37 articles discussing the management of their behavior in dentistry. All the published articles found that an alpha child's characteristics are closely related to behavior management in dentistry. The ease with which alpha children adapt to technology is one of the strategies for managing the behavior of alpha children. However, apart from this, the alpha children tend to be unappreciative of the process, which can affect dental behavior management. Specific characteristics of the alpha generation, such as increased exposure to technology, digital media consumption habits, and lack of respect for the process, have important implications for communication and adaptation to patient behavior management in dentistry. Understanding these characteristics is crucial for designing an effective communication strategy and adjusting appropriate behavior management to maintain the quality of dental care for this generation in the dentistry environment.

Therapeutic solutions for anterior restorations in disabled patients: Systematic review and case report

INTRODUCTION

Treating anterior restorations is a real challenge for a dentist and conventional protocols are not always applicable. The aim of this study is to determine different therapeutic to conducting anterior restorations in disabled people.

CASE REPORT

We begin by presenting the case of a 23-year-old, handicapped man, who was brought in consultation to compensate for the loss of the left upper central incisor (#21).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We then performed a systematic literature review in December 2022, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The publications, on three databases, dealing with dental treatments on disabled people were selected whether they were clinical studies or case reports.

RESULTS

In the end, 14 publications were included. Most of the treatments described in the studies (n = 10; 71.43%) concern people aged under 19. The patients present different types of handicaps with various degrees of severity and the oral diseases described are as heterogeneous as the handicaps retrieved.

DISCUSSION

It is therefore difficult to make common treatment recommendations for all these variable profiles and situations. Most of patients in this study are very young, so there is a need for preventive and therapeutic care as earlier as possible, to preserve the vitality of their teeth and dental occlusion.

Effectiveness of Nonpharmacological Behavioural Interventions in Managing Dental Fear and Anxiety among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Non-pharmacological behavioural interventions (NPBIs) have been employed by dentists to alleviate dental fear and anxiety (DFA) among preschool and school children. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effectiveness of different NPBIs in reducing DFA among children aged below 12.

METHOD

A comprehensive search was conducted using four electronic databases to identify randomised controlled trials that assess the effectiveness of NPBIs among preschool and school children. Two reviewers independently screened and selected the relevant studies, evaluated the risk of bias, and extracted relevant data for qualitative and quantitative syntheses.

RESULT

A total of 66 articles were included in the study. Except during more invasive dental procedures, the use of distraction techniques was found to result in significantly lower self-rated anxiety, better cooperation, and lower pulse rate compared to the tell-show-do method. However, inconsistent results were reported regarding the efficacy of virtual reality, modelling, visual pedagogies, tell-show-do and other NPBIs in reducing DFA among children.

CONCLUSIONS

The studies exhibited substantial heterogeneity due to varying age groups, methods of implementing NPBIs, dental treatments performed, and measurement scales employed in the evaluation of DFA.

The Use of Patient-Oriented Mobile Phone Apps in Oral Health: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Oral health is a significant part of general health. Poor oral health can influence an individual's appearance, self-esteem, eating, and speaking. The use of mobile phone apps has been growing in the field of medicine, including dentistry. However, to date, there is no evidence related to the availability of mobile apps focusing on various branches of dentistry.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to review the scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone apps in oral health and summarize the key findings.

METHODS

A scoping review of published scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone apps in oral health was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute. A search was performed in PubMed and Scopus for studies published between January 2000 and June 2021 that were written in English. All study types except for those reporting developmental protocols were included in this review. In total, 2 reviewers independently screened the studies using the eligibility criteria. The study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework registries in June 2021.

RESULTS

The initial search yielded a total of 977 studies, 45 (4.6%) of which met the inclusion criteria. All the studies (45/45, 100%) were published after 2009. Most studies (31/45, 69%) concerned oral health promotion using mobile phone apps, followed by behavior management (5/45, 11%). More than half (23/45, 51%) of the included studies were conducted in Asian countries. Overall, 31% (14/45) of the studies focused on adolescents. A total of 51% (23/45) of the studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Approximately 39% (9/23) of the included RCT studies reported a substantial reduction in dental plaque, and 26% (6/23) of the studies reported significant improvement in gingival health. Regarding dental anxiety management, 13% (3/23) of the RCT studies reported a significant decrease in mean heart rate and lower Facial Image Scale scores.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the literature, the use of mobile apps in oral health is increasing among patients, mainly children and adolescents. Many studies that have used mobile apps have focused on promoting oral health. However, other areas such as diagnostic and remote consultations (teledentistry) have until recently been neglected despite their great potential.

Assessment of Different Distraction Behavioral Methods in Pediatric Dental Clinic: A Systematic Review

Dental anxiety is one of the main problems dentists may face during the treatment of pediatric dental patients; therefore, clinicians tend to perform different behavior management techniques to reduce dental anxiety in children. This review aimed to systematically compare and evaluate the published literature regarding the effects of distraction techniques on anxiety, pain perception, and patient experience during dental practice. A detailed electronic search was conducted on 3 databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library. The databases were searched for articles published in the English language between 2015 and 2022. Among 102 studies, 27 studies fulfilled the criteria of eligibility and were included in this study to be analyzed. Numerous approaches have been proposed for the reduction of dental anxiety, out of which the use of audio-visual aids and instruments, active distraction such as tablets, smartphones, and virtual reality glasses showed governance in decreasing the children's anxiety followed by cognitive and behavioral methods.

Cryoanesthesia with ethyl chloride spray versus 5% lidocaine gel in alleviating oral local anesthetic injection pain for buccal anaesthesia: A randomized clinical (controlled) trial

Background

Numbing the area of oral mucosa with cold application prior to administration of regional anesthesia has been widely used by various dentists in alleviating pain caused by needle prick. Cryoanesthesia using Endo-ice as topical anesthesia has been studied as a replacement to prevail the fallibility of topical anaesthetics. This study aimed to evaluate and compare effectiveness of ethyl chloride spray with 5% lidocaine gel in alleviating buccal anesthesia injection pain.

Methods

Total of 90 outpatients were randomly divided into 3 groups as follows: Group 1 - cryotherapy with ethyl chloride at the anesthetic site preceding before administration of local anesthesia; Group 2 - topical application of 5% LIDOCAINE GEL preceding before administration of local anesthesia; and group 3 - control that did not receive any topical agent preceding before administration of local anesthesia. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to document pain immediately after injection prick.

Results

About comparison of pain scores, significant difference was found between group 1 (ethyl chloride) and group 2 (topical lidocaine) patients (P=0.001). For group 1, about 15 (50%) patients suffered from mild pain, followed by 14 (46.67%) patients suffering from moderate pain. However, majority of the 21 (70%) patients in group 2 suffered from moderate pain. All the patients in group 3 suffered from severe pain.

Conclusion

Importance of alleviating fear of needle injection phobia amongst patients is of paramount importance. Ethyl chloride was found to be more effective than topical lidocaine in alleviating needle injection pain before administration of local anesthetic injection.

Effectiveness of Digital Mental Health Tools to Reduce Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Depression and anxiety contribute to an estimated 74.6 million years of life with disability, and 80% of this burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where there is a large gap in care.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to systematically synthesize available evidence and quantify the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions in reducing depression and anxiety in LMICs.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases from the inception date to February 2022. We included randomized controlled trials conducted in LMICs that compared groups that received digital health interventions with controls (active control, treatment as usual, or no intervention) on depression or anxiety symptoms. Two reviewers independently extracted summary data reported in the papers and performed study quality assessments. The outcomes were postintervention measures of depression or anxiety symptoms (Hedges g). We calculated the pooled effect size weighted by inverse variance.

RESULTS

Among 11,196 retrieved records, we included 80 studies in the meta-analysis (12,070 participants n=6052, 50.14% in the intervention group and n=6018, 49.85% in the control group) and 96 studies in the systematic review. The pooled effect sizes were -0.61 (95% CI -0.78 to -0.44; n=67 comparisons) for depression and -0.73 (95% CI -0.93 to -0.53; n=65 comparisons) for anxiety, indicating that digital health intervention groups had lower postintervention depression and anxiety symptoms compared with controls. Although heterogeneity was considerable (I²=0.94 for depression and 0.95 for anxiety), we found notable sources of variability between the studies, including intervention content, depression or anxiety symptom severity, control type, and age. Grading of Recommendations, Assessments, Development, and Evaluation showed that the evidence quality was overall high.

CONCLUSIONS

Digital mental health tools are moderately to highly effective in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms in LMICs. Thus, they could be effective options to close the gap in depression and anxiety care in LMICs, where the usual mental health care is minimal.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42021289709; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=289709.

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

BACKGROUND

It is important to avoid giving children traumatic dental experiences that induce post-traumatic dental care anxiety (PTDA) in clinical dental practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether non-pharmacological behavior management procedures can effectively reduce the use of pharmacological behavior management in children who have PTDA and are referred for regular dental treatments under general anesthesia (GA) and sedation.

METHODS

This clinical study consisted of two groups. The treatment group involved 20 healthy children aged 4-14 with PTDA and also those referred by other institutions for dental treatment with/without GA. The control group was sampled retrospectively from the patient records and involved 20 healthy uncooperative children aged 4-14 with PTDA who had been treated under GA.

RESULTS

The number of multiple appointments was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group. Only 25% of children in the treatment group underwent GA and the rest (75%) were managed with non-pharmacological management techniques. Nine (60%) children who were treated with minimally invasive techniques did not require GA.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to treat children as much as possible without causing PTDA by using appropriate behavior management techniques. This study emphasizes the usefulness of thoroughly employing non-pharmacological behavior management methods before directing a child with PTDA for dental treatment under pharmacological behavior management, which can prevent the over-utilization of sedation and GA.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Dentistry: Highlights from the Current Research

Many modern advancements have taken place in dentistry that have exponentially impacted the progress and practice of dentistry. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are becoming the trend in the practice of modern dentistry because of their impact on changing the patient’s experience. The use of AR and VR has been beneficial in different fields of science, but their use in dentistry is yet to be thoroughly explored, and conventional ways of dentistry are still practiced at large. Over the past few years, dental treatment has been significantly reshaped by technological advancements. In dentistry, the use of AR and VR systems has not become widespread, but their different uses should be explored. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide an update on the contemporary knowledge, to report on the ongoing progress of AR and VR in various fields of dental medicine and education, and to identify the further research required to achieve their translation into clinical practice. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for articles in peer-reviewed English-language journals published in the last 10 years up to 31 March 2021, with the help of specific keywords related to AR and VR in various dental fields. Of the total of 101 articles found in the literature search, 68 abstracts were considered suitable and further evaluated, and consequently, 33 full-texts were identified. Finally, a total of 13 full-texts were excluded from further analysis, resulting in 20 articles for final inclusion. The overall number of studies included in this review was low; thus, at this point in time, scientifically-proven recommendations could not be stated. AR and VR have been found to be beneficial tools for clinical practice and for enhancing the learning experiences of students during their pre-clinical education and training sessions. Clinicians can use VR technology to show their patients the expected outcomes before the undergo dental procedures. Additionally, AR and VR can be implemented to overcome dental phobia, which is commonly experienced by pediatric patients. Future studies should focus on forming technological standards with high-quality data and developing scientifically-proven AR/VR gadgets for dental practice.

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

Aim

Behavior management techniques (BMTs) efficiently deliver dental treatment to children with dental anxiety. The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to examine whether the efficacy of BMTs applied for the improvement of compliance in pediatric patients differs between children 3–10-year-olds from single-child and multi-child families.

Materials and Methods

In this quasi-experimental, 197 caregiver-child couples were divided into two groups: single-child group (116 couples) and multi-child group (81 couples). Children's pre- and post-treatment anxiety levels were measured by facial mood scale (FMS) and Frankl Behavior Rating Scale (FBRS), respectively.

Caregivers' dental anxiety was measured by the Chinese version of the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), which was included in the self-designed questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-square tests, and binary multivariate regression analysis.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference in the demographic characteristics of the children between the two groups. BMTs were found to be capable of reducing children's dental anxiety (CDA): the compliance rate was 45.69–88.79% in the single-child group and 44.44–85.79% in the multi-child group pre- and post-BMTs, but there was no significant difference in the change of compliance between the two groups (p > 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, parenting style (odds ratio [OR] = 0.054, p < 0.05) and father's education (OR = 8.19, p < 0.05) affected the varies of children's compliance in the single-child group. In contrast, in the multi-child group, gender (OR = 8.004, p < 0.05) and mother's occupation (OR = 0.017, p < 0.05) were associated with these changes in compliance.

Conclusions

In this study, BMTs were proved to be beneficial in improving compliance in 3- to 10-year-olds children in dental treatment. Though there was no significant difference in the change of compliance between children from single-child and multi-child families, different associated factors may affect the two groups. Therefore, the related family factors should be taken into account when professionals manage each child's behavior in dental practice.

Evaluation of the Effect of Hydroxyzine on Preoperative Anxiety and Anesthetic Adequacy in Children: Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Surgical procedures can generate significant preoperative anxiety (POA) in as much as 70% of the paediatric population. The role of hydroxyzine and distractive techniques such as clowns in the management of anxiety is controversial. Our main objective was to evaluate the effect of hydroxyzine on the control of POA. The secondary objective was to assess the potential additive effect of hydroxyzine and distracting techniques. We performed a randomized double-blind, controlled clinical trial in children aged 2–16 years undergoing outpatient surgery (n = 165). Subjects were randomized to hydroxyzine (group 1) or placebo (group 2). For the secondary objective, two further groups were made by allocation by chance to hydroxyzine plus accompaniment with clowns (group 3) and placebo plus clowns (group 4). All patients were accompanied by their parents as the standard procedure. POA was determined by a modified Yale scale of POA (m-YPAS). Compliance of children during induction of anesthesia (Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC)) was also assessed. No differences (p = 0.788) were found in POA control at the time of induction measured by m-YPAS (group 1: 39.2 ± 27.9; group 2: 37.0 ± 26.1; group 3: 34.7 ± 25.5; group 4: 32.4 ± 20.5). No differences were found in the level of ICC between the different treatment arms (group 1: 1.8 ± 3.4; group 2: 1.5 ± 3.0; group 3: 1.2 ± 2.4; group 4: 1.5 ± 2.7). The combination of all treatments (group 3) was the only effective strategy to contain the progression of anxiety. In conclusion, hydroxyzine was not effective to control POA in children. The combination of hydroxyzine and clowns avoided the progression of POA in our patients. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03324828 (registered 21 September 2017, subject recruitment started on 12th January 2018).