Training dentally anxious children to cope.

This investigation compared the relative effectiveness of exposure-based, multicomponent treatment of grammar-school-aged children with dental phobia in a school-based program. Multicomponent treatment was administered in three group sessions consisting of coping-skills training, administered in a school dental operatory setting, combined with exposure to a coping-model videotape. Comparison conditions were exposure-based coping-skills training; modeling video-tape; classroom-based (non-exposure) coping-skills training; information dissemination/discussion group; and waiting-list control. Results supported the relative efficacy of exposure-based, multicomponent treatment in reducing subjective anxiety compared with the waiting-list control, information dissemination/group discussion, video-tape-modeling condition, and non-exposure-based coping-skills-training conditions. No treatment group differences were found for pulse or behavioral ratings of anxiety.