DENTAL PATIENTS;

ROLE OF MUSIC DISTRACTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF APPREHENSIVE DENTAL PATIENTS.

Abstract

Introduction: Dental anxiety is a prevalent condition found among children as well as among adults of all ages. It is a kind of fear associated with dental procedures. Study Design: Randomized control trial. Setting: Outpatient setting of the department of Operative Dentistry at the Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences. Period: January 2014 to December 2014. Methods: Two hundred participants were enrolled in the study, 100 participants in intervention arm and 100 participants in the control arm. Purposive sampling technique was used. Pre and post procedure anxiety was assessed using the dentist rating of patient’s scale. Music intervention was provided to the participants randomized in the intervention arm whereas routine treatment was provided to both group. Multiple Linear Regression test was used for the statistical analysis. Results: The study found an association between music and the post procedure anxiety score. The anxiety score of the participants who received the music intervention was 0.17 units lower than those who didn’t receive the intervention. Conclusion: Music intervention can play an effective role in relaxing the anxious patient coming for the dental procedure, besides trying to make the dentist office less fearful and less anxiety provoking.