Research into audio visual distraction for dental phobia

Anxiety about visiting the dentist and during treatment is common in children. Estimates suggest that as many as one in five school age children are afraid of dentists. Children with dental phobias end up experiencing more dental pain and are more disruptive during treatment. Although studies have shown that audio visual distraction (for example, playing video games and watching TV) can be successful in minimising distress and the perception of pain during short invasive medical procedures, the issue of whether distraction is beneficial during dental procedures is still hotly debated. Research to date has produced conflicting results.

In this study, 56 ‘uncooperative’ children (aged seven to nine years) attending a dental clinic at the Royal College of Dentistry, King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, were randomly assigned to receive either audio visual distraction (watching their favourite cartoons using the eyeglass system Merlin i-theatre) or no distraction (control group). Children underwent three separate (max 30 min) treatment visits involving an oral examination, injection with local anaesthetic and tooth restoration. The researchers measured the anxiety levels and cooperative behaviour of the children during each visit using an anxiety and behaviour scale, and monitored each child’s vital signs, blood pressure, and pulse (indirect measures of anxiety). Children also rated their own anxiety and pain during each procedure.