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The Effect of Breathing Exercise Using Bubble Blower on Anxiety and Pain during Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block in
Zahra Bahrololoomi1, Tahereh Sadeghiyeh2, Maedeh Rezaei3
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Social Determinants of Oral Health Research Center, Dentistry Faculty, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
Insights
Breathing exercises with a bubble blower effectively reduced pain in children during dental procedures. While anxiety levels also decreased, the reduction was not statistically significant, indicating a promising, non-pharmacological approach for managing procedural discomfort in pediatric dentistry.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Pain Management
- Anxiety Reduction
Background:
- Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is a common dental procedure for children.
- Managing anxiety and pain during IANB in children is crucial for positive dental experiences.
- Non-pharmacological methods are sought to improve patient comfort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of breathing exercises (BE) using a bubble blower on anxiety and pain during IANB in children aged 7-10 years.
- To compare the effects of BE + IANB versus routine IANB in pediatric patients.
- To assess the impact of BE on physiological indicators of anxiety and pain.
Main Methods:
- A randomized crossover clinical trial involving 35 children (7-10 years) with moderate to severe anxiety.
- Children received either BE + IANB or routine IANB in the first session, with the intervention reversed in the second session.
- Anxiety was measured using the Facial Image Scale (FIS), blood pressure, and pulse rate. Pain was assessed using the Face Leg Activity Cry Consolability (FLACC) scale and Wong-Baker Facial Pain Scale (WBFPS).
Main Results:
- Statistically significant reductions in pain scores (FLACC and WBFPS) were observed with the bubble blower intervention (P < 0.05).
- While anxiety scores (FIS, blood pressure, pulse rate) were lower with the bubble blower, these differences did not reach statistical significance.
- Subgroup analysis revealed significant pain reduction in girls and children with no prior dental treatment.
Conclusions:
- Breathing exercise with a bubble blower can be an effective distraction and relaxation technique to reduce pain during IANB in anxious children.
- The intervention shows potential for managing procedural pain and anxiety in pediatric dental care.
- Further research may be warranted to explore the anxiety-reducing effects and optimize the technique for broader application.
Introduction:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of breathing exercise using bubble blower on anxiety and pain during inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) in children aged 7 to 10 years.
Materials And Methods:
In this randomized crossover clinical trial, thirty-five children with moderate to severe anxiety requiring bilateral pulp therapy of mandibular primary molars were enrolled. Based on random lists, 18 children received the BE + IANB and 17 children received a routine IANB at the first session. This trend became reverse at the second visit for each child. Anxiety was measured using Facial Image Scale (FIS), blood pressure, and pulse rate. Face Leg Activity Cry Consolability (FLACC) scale and Wong-Baker Facial Pain Scale (WBFPS) were used for pain measurement. The Paired Samples Test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, and Interclass Correlation Coefficient were used for data analysis.
Results:
The means of FLACC, WBFPS, FIS, blood pressure, and pulse rate were higher at the control visit. However, these differences were statistically significant only for FLACC scale and WBFPS (P value <0.05). In subgroup analysis, only girls and children without any previous dental treatment showed significant differences in FLACC scale and WBFPS between the control and bubble blower side (P value <0.05).
Conclusion:
Breathing exercise using a bubble blower may be an efficient distraction and relaxation method to decrease pain of 7- to 10-year-old children with moderate to severe anxiety during inferior alveolar nerve block. However, anxiety levels were lower when applying BE, and the differences were not statistically significant.
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