Active and passive distraction technique on children’s behavior undergoing dental treatment

Aim: Effective pain control during dental treatment of a pediatric patient is the cornerstone for successful behavior guidance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of active and passive distraction techniques on children’s behavior during dental treatment. Material and methods: Atotal number of 150 children between of 4-10 years of age group were selected and randomly divided into 3 equal groups. Group I comprised of the control group on whom the treatment was performed under normal dental setup, group II was the active distraction group, who were instructed for repeated deep breathing and blowing out air throughout the treatment and the group III, the passive distraction group were shown audiovisual presentation through Visual Reality Glasses 3D Box during the entire treatment. Each patient was scheduled for 3 dental visits. Pre and post-operative response to dental stress was assessed using the Facial Image Scale for dental anxiety. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 18 (Chicago, USA) and p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Result: The maximum number of children (24%) belonged to the 6-7 years of age group. The mean values for SBP obtained during the prophylaxis visit in group II and group III was higher as compared to the control group. The SBP during the application of local anesthetic in group II and III group was significantly higher than the control group children (p<0.05). There were differences in the SBP, DBP and PR in all the groups but they were not statistically significant. The correlation of clinical anxiety and co-operative behavior showed that children were more relaxed in the group II and group III during dental procedures. Conclusion: The results of the study suggested that active and passive distraction made children not only less anxious as compared to the control group but they also showed more cooperative response during the invasive dental procedures.