Effectiveness of Distraction Techniques in The Management of Anxious Children in the Dental Operatory

extraction and the treatment satisfaction as reported by children and pediatric dentists. Materials and methods: 30 children in the age group of 4-8 years with Frankel's behavior rating score of 2 who required local anesthesia for dental extraction were selected. There were two study groups; group 1 playing video game on the mobile phone and group 2 viewing videos of patient's favorite cartoon character on mobile phone as means of distraction during the preoperative period and during the course of the dental procedure. The level of anxiety of the patient and the pediatric dentist's satisfaction with the patient's behavior during the treatment were noted. Results: Mobile phone video games were found to be more effective for distracting kids in the dental operatory than viewing videos. Preoperative anxiety was found to be highly reduced with this method of distraction. Conclusion: A cartoon video or video game on a mobile phone can be offered to most children as they are easy to implement, portable, and effective method to reduce anxiety in the preoperative area and during injection of local anesthesia for dental extraction. These techniques of distraction also reduce operatory stress on the pediatric dentist.