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Reducing Dental Anxiety in Pediatric Patients

Catherine Bishop

Dental Hygiene, South College-Nashville

RDH 1430- Pain Management/Anxiety Control

Ms. McKinney

August 17, 2021

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Reducing Dental Anxiety in Pediatric Patients

The dental office often brings on many emotions such as anxiety and nervousness.

Pediatric patients especially become more anxious. It is important for dental clinicians to provide

a comforting atmosphere for all patients and find ways to reduce their anxiety. Allowing children

to be comfortable in a dental setting at a younger age may aid in less anxiety being present as

they grow older. Treating children not only helps them understand the importance of oral

hygiene, but also teaches them that dental anxiety can be controlled since the dental office is not

a scary place.

The Importance of Reducing Dental Anxiety

Teaching children the importance of proper oral hygiene at a young age instills the

importance of oral health through life. If pediatric patients present with dental anxiety, the

likeliness of poor oral hygiene increases. Being scared or nervous of the dental office is

something that can be managed by dental personnel. Teaching children how important oral

hygiene is can help motivate them to visit the dental office more, thus reducing dental anxiety

since positive results are shown. Many techniques can be implemented to reduce dental anxiety

among pediatric patients. Controlling the eye movement of children while administering local

anesthetic is one way to decrease dental anxiety. Using visual aids and listening to music are

other ways to reduce dental anxiety among children.

The efficacy of little lovely dentist, dental song, and tell-show-do techniques in alleviating

dental anxiety in pediatric patients: A clinical trial

Allowing children to visually see what is being placed in their mouths can calm their

anxiety and nervousness. Educational videos and songs explaining the treatment or procedure
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can also calm their nerves. Children love watching cartoons; therefore, watching a dental cartoon

may alleviate their anxiety. Cartoons may make the atmosphere more comforting and kid

friendly. Children within the study showed a decrease in anxiety levels from using the lovely

little dentist method, a dental song, and the show-tell-do method. Decreasing the patient’s

anxiety not only helps them, but also the dental personnel. According to Abbasi et al (2021), “If

the initial dental treatment is not pleasant for the child, this will create a lack of trust with any

dentist for any dental treatment further on in life, compromising the oral health of such

individuals” (para 19). Future appointments are much more successful with less anxiety and

gained trust.

Comparison of the effectiveness of Bach flower therapy and music therapy on dental anxiety

in pediatric patients: A randomized controlled study

A positive mindset controls the anxiousness a child may experience in a dental setting.

Natural substances used in the Bach flower therapy can aid in children’s minds having a more

positive feeling rather than negative. By using music therapy or BFT, children within the study

behaved better for their dental treatment. Having a well-behaved child in the dental chair results

in a more positive experience for both the child and the clinicians. Since anxiety is controlled

psychologically, playing music, or using BCT may aid in taking the child’s mind away from

their anxiousness. The study showed success when using BCT and music therapy to reduce

pediatric dental anxiety. According to Dixit and Jasani (2020), “Reduction in the dental anxiety

was demonstrated by better behavior of children, decrease in the pulse rates, and blood pressure

during dental treatment” (para 42). Reducing anxiety in the dental office is a top priority to

ensure children are well treated.

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Eye movement DISTRACTION: A new distraction technique for management of DENTAL

anxiety during INTRAORAL local Anesthesia administration in children

Administering local anesthetics prior to dental procedures is a beneficial way to alleviate

pain and anxiety that comes with being in the dental chair. Children often have a needle-phobia

that makes administering local anesthetics difficult. Seeing a needle in the dental office can

increase a child’s anxiety tremendously. According to Tirupathi (2019), “Administration of LA

itself is painful and anxiety-evoking, which can negatively influence the behavior of the child

and may result in interruption of communication between the pediatric dentist and the child and

avoidance of treatment” (para 6). Eye movement distraction is often used to take children’s

minds away from the needle being inserted into their mouth. Distracting the eyes allows local

anesthetic to be administered causing the anxiety level to decrease. Children that were examined

within the study showed that eye movement distraction was beneficial in controlling and

decreasing their anxiety.

Conclusion

Teaching children the importance of proper oral hygiene begins at a young age. Anxiety

associated with dental treatment may keep the children away resulting in poor oral hygiene that

can be carried into their adulthood and permanent dentition. Controlling pediatric anxiety is an

important aspect for dental clinicians. Many techniques and methods can be implemented to

ensure children feel comfortable and stress-free within the dental office. By simply listening to

music or controlling eye movement while administering local anesthetics, children’s anxiety

level can be decreased causing them to have a more positive experience. A positive dental

experience leads to better home hygiene and children being less frightened of the dental office.
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References

Abbasi, H., Saqib, M., Jouhar, R., Lal, A., Ahmed, N., Ahmed, M. A., & Alam, M. K. (2021).

The efficacy of little lovely dentist, dental song, and tell-show-do techniques in

alleviating dental anxiety in pediatric patients: A clinical trial. BioMed Research

International, 2021, 1-7. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2021/1119710/

Dixit UB, Jasani RR. (2020). Comparison of the effectiveness of Bach flower therapy and music

therapy on dental anxiety in pediatric patients: A randomized controlled study. J Indian

Soc Pedod Prev Dent 2020;38:71-8. https://www.jisppd.com/article.asp?issn=0970-

4388;year=2020;volume=38;issue=1;spage=71;epage=78;aulast=Dixit

Tirupathi, S., Krishna, N., Rajasekhar, S., & Nuvvula, S. (2019). Eye movement DISTRACTION:

A new distraction technique for management of DENTAL anxiety during INTRAORAL

local Anesthesia administration in children. International journal of clinical pediatric

dentistry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7229387/