The Use of a Self-Designed Dental Storybook as a Dental Anxiety Reduction Medium Among Paediatric Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Assessing the Efficacy of a Dental Storybook for Pediatric Anxiety

Abstract

Background: Dental anxiety is a major obstacle to children receiving dental care, which can increase their fear. It is of the utmost importance to manage patients with dental anxiety or dental fear in a manner that complements their conflicts. A pediatric dentist’s role is to perform effective treatment using various non-pharmacological behavior management techniques. Aims: Aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-designed dental storybook in reducing dental anxiety among children between 5-9 years. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 54 children aged 5-9 years. Children were randomly allocated into two groups, namely, Control group (did not reveive story book) and Intervention group (received story book). Research was carried out in two dental visits (screening and examination visit and preventive and restorative treatment) wherein, before and after intervention, Venham Clinical Anxiety Scale (VCAS), Facial Image Scale (FIS), and Frankel’s Behavior Rating Scale (FBRS) were recorded. The data’s were statisticaly analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank test, applied and tabulated using the SPSS software version 25.0. Results: The intervention group showed significantly lower anxiety and more cooperative behavior during treatment than the control group. Conclusion: Self‑designed dental storybook as an adjuvant was found to be promising behavior modification technique for 5-9 year old children.