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. 2019 Dec;19(6):369-378.
doi: 10.17245/jdapm.2019.19.6.369. Epub 2019 Dec 27.

Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of a mobile app (Little Lovely Dentist) and the tell-show-do technique in the management of dental anxiety and fear: a randomized controlled trial

Sainath Reddy Elicherla  1 , Sujatha Bandi  1 , Sivakumar Nuvvula  1 , Rama Subbareddy Challa  1 , Kanamarlapudi Venkata Saikiran  1 , Vaka Jeevan Priyanka  1
Affiliations

Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of a mobile app (Little Lovely Dentist) and the tell-show-do technique in the management of dental anxiety and fear: a randomized controlled trial

Sainath Reddy Elicherla et al. J Dent Anesth Pain Med. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Behavior guidance is a technique used to subdue inappropriate behavior by establishing communication that meets the needs of a child. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of a mobile app (Little Lovely Dentist) compared to the tell-show-do (TSD) technique in managing anxious children during their first dental visit.

Methods: Fifty children (30 boys and 20 girls) without any past dental experience, aged from 7 to 11 years, were randomly allocated into either the dental app group or the TSD group. The pre- and post-operative anxiety of children who underwent prophylactic cleaning was assessed both physiologically and subjectively using a heart rate measurement and the RMS pictorial scale, respectively.

Results: The intragroup comparison of heart rate and RMS scores for children allocated to the dental app group was statistically significant (P value ≤ 0.001). However, a significant reduction only occurred in the RMS scores, but not the heart rate measurements, in the TSD group. Conversely, there was an increase in heart rates in the TSD group.

Conclusion: Educating the child prior to a dental procedure using a smartphone application such as Little Lovely Dentist can significantly alleviate the anticipatory anxiety and engage children in dental treatment during their first visit.

Keywords: Anxiety; Behavior Guidance; Dental Application; First Dental Visit; Tell-Show-Do.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Little Lovely Dentist app
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Educating a child about the procedure using the dental app
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Conditioning the child using tell-show-do
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Performing the oral prophylaxis procedure and recording procedural anxiety using a pulse oximeter
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. RMS pictorial scale used for assessing pre- and post-operative anxiety
Fig. 6
Fig. 6. CONSORT flow diagram of the study design
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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