Impact of Music Distraction on Dental Anxiety in Children Having Intellectual Disability

Aim and objective:To analyze the impact of Indian instrumental music on children with intellectual disability (mild) exhibiting dental anxiety during dental procedures using electrical skin resistance measured by a biofeedback machine.Materials and methods: A total of 20 children of 6-14 years having an intellectual disability (mild) were randomly divided into two groups comprising of 10 each.The study was carried out in a cross-over design, with and without music distraction in two appointments spaced out at a gap of 1 month.The children were subjected to a dental examination, oral prophylaxis, and auditory operative stimuli in both appointments.The electrical skin resistance during each procedure was measured using a galvanic skin response (GSR) biofeedback machine and the values were statistically analyzed using paired and unpaired t-tests.Results: A statistically significant increase in electrical resistance was observed during music distraction, which indicated an anxiety reduction when music distraction was employed.Conclusion: The increased electrical skin resistance due to low anxiety proves the positive impact of music distraction in intellectually disabled children.Clinical significance: Music can be employed as a distraction technique to reduce anxiety in intellectually disabled children.