Effect of Music Distraction in Managing Anxious Paediatric Dental Patients

Abstract

Dental anxiety is one of the most commonly encountered problems seen in the dental clinic. Anxiety begins at a very young age, if not addressed at that point; it will result in more drastic consequences. As a dental clinician, there are various methods of behaviour management; one of them is music therapy. Music has always been one of the most commonly used methods to relieve anxiety. A lilting melody from a mother calms down the child in a few minutes. So, this review was performed to know the effect of music distraction in management of anxious dental patients. Music therapy is one of the most efficient forms of non-invasive therapy as the equipment used are musical instrument headsets, audio player among others. Various studies have shown that audio distraction causes a noticeable reduction in the anxiety level of the patient. While it may not have reduced the amount of pain the patient undergoes, it has been recorded that the music therapy shows a positive response in patients. Hence, music distraction proves to be an effective behaviour management tool in children during dental procedures and thus, instils a positive dental attitude