387 - Use of Guided Meditation for Managing Dental Anxiety in Children

Purpose: The aim of this study is to test if guided meditation prior to the start of operative dental procedures significantly decreases dental anxiety in children. Finding significance in this mind-body therapeutic approach as a behavior management modality in a dental setting could be significantly beneficial to pediatric dentists and to their patients.

Methods: Children ages 5-12 years old who are ASA I or II, Frankl Scale II, III or IV, and require at least two quadrants of operative dental treatment were recruited. Each patient served as their own control in two separate appointments. One appointment was assigned to include guided meditation prior to the operative procedure while the other appointment did not include guided meditation. Which appointment went first was decided by the flip of a coin. Measures of dental anxiety included both physiological responses – heart rate (HR) - and subjective reports – the Venham Picture Scale (VPS) and the Facial Image Scale (FIS) – before and after guided meditation and after an operative procedure.

Results: There is a statistically significant difference for FIS (F=7.752, p<.05) and for the VENHAM (F=8.265, p<.01) when comparing both groups before and after their operative procedures suggesting that guided meditation before starting an operative procedure does in fact have a positive effect on a patient’s subjective report of anxiety. For Heart Rate, trends were seen but none statistically significant.

Conclusion: Guided meditation is an effective behavior management modality in pediatric dentistry. Patients demonstrated decreased dental anxiety when guided meditation was completed before the start of the procedure. It would be beneficial to continue research in this area over a longer period with more subjects.