[Dental anxiety in preschool children: How helpful are behavioral control management strategies?]

Dental anxiety in preschool children: How helpful are behavioral control management strategies? Abstract. Objective: Dental anxiety is a frequent problem in the dental treatment of young children. Control management methods are widely used in pediatric dental care as coping strategies. This study compares two control management strategies regarding their reduction of dental anxiety and treatment success. Method: A group of 60 preschool children with known dental fear in their medical history underwent professional dental cleaning in which the Tell-Show-Do Method (TSDM) was applied. Patients were randomized into two groups according to the controlling method employed: (1) limited controlling method (L-K) and (2) standardized controlling method (S-K). The efficacy of the two control methods was tested using pulse rate as an objective measure of anxiety and self-rating as a subjective indicator. Results: Both the S-K and the L-K condition showed a significant reduction in pulse rate, and there was no difference in physiological arousal and treatment success. However, independent of the group disposition, there was a noticeable increase in pulse rate in children after TSDM. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that even limited options for controlling dental treatment do not lead to greater burdens on the children in question with dental anxiety. However, further studies are necessary to investigate the use of control methods independent of TSDM.