Effectiveness of a distraction technique in managing young dental patients.

This research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a distraction technique in reducing young children’s negative responses to dental care. Fifty-five dentally naive children, ranging in age from two to six years, were studied over a sedes of four dental visits. Patients in the distraction condition viewed familiar ch3"ldren’s television programs throughout heir dental visits; patients in a control condition had no exposure to this distraction stimulus. The children’s response to dental care was assessed using a combination of physiological, behavioral, and self-report measures. There was no evidence that exposure to popular television programs is effective in modifying young children’s responses to dental treatment. However, children’s responses did vary systematically as a function of age and visit type. Further research is recommended to explore the effectiveness of distraction techniques which require more active participation of the pedodontic patient.