Effectiveness of Smart Phone Application in Reducing Anxiety During Pediatric Dental Procedures: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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.