Comparison between Positive Dental Images and Neutral Images in Managing Anticipatory Anxiety of Children

Objective: To evaluate the impact of positive images versus neutral images on child behavior during dental treatment and their dental anxiety after dental treatment. Study design: Sixty, 4 to 6 year old healthy pediatric dental patients, indicated for pulpotomy and stainless steel crown restorations, were divided randomly into two equal groups. Group I (experimental group viewed positive dental images and group II (control group) viewed neutral cartoon images prior to treatment. Behavior was assessed using Frankl rating scale in all four treatment phases: seating, local anesthesia administration, pulpotomy and overall rating. Patient's anxiety was determined according to Venham Picture Test (VPT) before and after dental procedure. Results: Behavior rating using the Frankl scale showed a statistically significant difference in the two groups in the overall rating (P= 0.003, 0.001 respectively). No statistically significant difference was found between both groups in any of the treatment phases (P= 0.288, 0.060, 0.719 respectively) and between the mean VPT scores before and after procedures (P=0.95, 0.93 respectively. Conclusion: Viewing neutral or positive dental images did not have an effect on child's anticipatory anxiety level. However, it is an effective method of improving the behavior in children.