EFFECTIVENESS OF SMART PHONE APPLICATION IN REDUCING ANXIETY DURING PEDIATRIC DENTAL PROCEDURES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL | ||
Alexandria Dental Journal | ||
Article 47, Volume 47, Issue 2, August 2022, Pages 196-204 PDF (618.74 K) | ||
Document Type: Original Article | ||
DOI: 10.21608/adjalexu.2021.73371.1190 | ||
Authors | ||
Gehad Derbala* 1; Amani Mohamed Khalil1; Reham Sobhi Soliman2 | ||
1Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||
2Lecturer of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt | ||
Abstract | ||
Introduction: Numerous dental health programs are directed at reducing the anxiety of children. Smartphone applications may be beneficial in behavior management problems when undergoing dental procedure. Objectives: The aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of smartphone applications (Tell-Play-Do) (TPD) in reduction of preoperative anxiety in children who are undergoing restorative treatment in comparison with the Tell-Show-Do (TSD) technique. Materials and Methods: This research was a randomized controlled clinical trial. A sample of 38 healthy children patients per group (number of groups=2) with age ranging from 6-8 years were assigned from the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health. All participants were randomly distributed to one of two groups: TPD or TSD. They All required restorative treatment with carious maxillary primary molars (class I only) without-pulpal involvement and infiltration of local anesthesia (LA). Dental anxiety was assessed by using Venham's picture test (VPT) and heart rate (HR) in three steps (baseline, after intervention TPD/TSD and after treatment). Results: The reduction in dental anxiety scores(VPT) after applying the TPD in comparison with the base line scores for the test group exhibited statistical significance (P1<0.0001), while it was statistically non-significant in the control group (TSD technique). Both groups showed reduction in HR pre-operative and post-operative, however, the reduction was almost doubled in TPD group using dental application. Conclusions: In pediatric patients, the Tell-Play-Do technique by using smartphone application is an effective instrument for reducing dental anxiety. | ||
Keywords | ||
Smart phone application; Dental anxiety; Behavior management; heart rate; Venham's picture test | ||
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