Dental Tribune Nordic Edition No. 3, 2016

Dental Tribune Nordic Edition | 3/2016 NORDIC NEWS Reducing dental anxiety with cartoons By DTI HUDDINGE, Sweden & RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Sometimes a little distrac- tion is all it takes to lessen children’s fearofthedentistandconsequently improve treatment outcomes. In a clinical trial jointly conducted by researchers in Sweden and Saudi Arabia, children who watched car- toons through video glasses during treatment exhibited significantly less anxiety and showed more co- operation than did children who had no audiovisual distraction. Dental anxiety is very common in children. It is estimated that about one in five school-aged chil- dren are afraid to visit the dentist to some degree. Studies have shown that children with dental phobia experience more dental pain and are more disruptive during treat- ment. Investigating means to ad- dress these anxiety issues in a child-oriented manner, the present study evaluated the effectiveness of viewing videotaped cartoons with an eyeglass system, Merlin i-theatre (Merlin Digital General Trading), in a group of children receiving dental restorative treatment. Thestudyexamined56children of 7 to 9 years of age in three sepa- rate treatment visits that involved an oral examination, injection with a local anaesthetic and tooth resto- ration. The treatment was under- taken at a dental clinic at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. All of the children involved had exhibited some kind of dental anxiety in the past and were referred to the clinic for behaviour management. In the trial, one half was randomly chosen to watch their favourite cartoons through the eyeglasses, while the control group had no audiovisual distraction during treatment. When measuring anxiety levels and cooperative behaviour in both groups, the researchers found that the children in the distraction group exhibited significantly less anxiety andshowedmorecooperation—par- ticularly during the local anaesthetic injection—than the control group did. In determining indirect meas- ures of anxiety, such as vital signs, including blood pressure and pulse, they further found that the average pulse rate of children without video distraction was significantly higher during the injection than in children in the distraction group. However, the children themselves, who rated their perceived treatment-related pain and anxiety during each proce- dure, did not echo this difference. Although further studies are necessary in order to confirm the value of the method in general clin- ical settings, the results of the trial suggest that audiovisual distrac- tion may be a useful technique to calm children with dental phobia and ensure that they can be given the dental treatment they need, the researchers concluded. The study, titled “Effects of audiovisual distraction on chil- dren’s behaviour during dental treatment: A randomized con- trolled clinical trial”, was pub- lished online on 13 July in the Acta Odontologica Scandinavica journal. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and King Saud University in Saudi Arabia have investigated whether audiovisual distraction during dental treatment may help children to overcome their fear of the dentist. © Al-Khotani et al. Admira Fusion, GrandioSO, Grandio – now in innovative protective packaging VOCO GmbH · Anton-Flettner-Straße 1-3 · 27472 Cuxhaven · Germany · Tel. +49 4721 719-0 · www.voco.com Reliable material characteristics whatever the climatic conditions Prevention of cross - contamination Hygienic, individual packaging Clear layout, easy - to - read information Optimum protection against moisture TOP QUALITY, OPTIMUM PROTECTION Caps individually sealed in innovative air-tight packaging • For maximum hygiene and a significantly reduced risk of cross-contamination • Optimum protection against moisture and climatic conditions • Permanently reliable material characteristics, even consistency and perfect handling Please visit us at NORDENTAL Stavanger 3-5 November 2016 Vieraile osastollamme Helsingin Messukeskuksessa hammaslääkeriedepäivillä 24.-26.11.2016 Tervetuloa osastollemme 1C4 16-18 november 2016 monter: A 06:02 VOCO_DT-Nordic_0316_Stickpack-GB_Skandinavien_210x297.indd 1 22.08.2016 12:24:05 AD 03 VOCO GmbH · Anton-Flettner-Straße 1-3 · 27472 Cuxhaven · Germany · Tel. +494721719-0 · www.voco.com VOCO_DT-Nordic_0316_Stickpack-GB_Skandinavien_210x297.indd 122.08.201612:24:05

Dental Tribune Nordic Edition No. 3, 2016

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