Comparative Evaluation of Anxiety Level during the Conventional Dental Procedures with and without Audiovisual Distraction Eyeglasses in Pediatric Dental Patients

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Background: Dental anxiety denotes a state of apprehension something dreadful is going to happen in relation to dental and it is coupled with a sense of losing control. High levels of anxiety prevent a patient from cooperating fully with their dentist and limit the effectiveness of the dental treatment. In recent years, research in the dental operatory has proven the of psychological techniques in preparing children for and managing children during dental treatment. Distraction has been examined in a variety of medical and dental settings as a relatively easy, inexpensive, and simple approach to reducing distress and disruptive behavior in children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the audiovisual distraction (AVD) eyeglasses in reduction of anxiety during conventional dental in pediatric dental patients. Materials and Methods: Study comprised 40 healthy children 6 and 10 years old visiting Dr. D.Y. Patil Dental College Hospital, Pimpri, Pune, for the dental treatment with Frankl's behavior rating scale score 3 and 4. They were divided into two groups; each group having 20 patients each. Group I having 20 subjects wearing AVD eyeglasses and Group II having 20 subjects without wearing AVD eyeglasses. Three procedures including oral prophylaxis, restorative treatment, and pulpectomy procedures were done on each subject during three subsequent visits or (P < 0.05), restoration (P < 0.05), and pulpectomy/root canal treatment (RCT) (P < 0.005) as compared to Group B which is children without wearing AV eyeglasses. Anxiety reduction was seen via VAS in Group A in children wearing AV eyeglasses being statistically significant in oral prophylaxis (P < 0.05), restoration (P 0.05) and pulpectomy/RCT (P > 0.05) as compared to Group B which is children without wearing AV eyeglasses. Conclusion: Results suggest that the use of an AVD system may be a beneficial option for patients with mild to moderate fear and anxiety associated with dental treatment in children.