Effectiveness of Musical Drama, Music Listening, and Tell-Show-Do Techniques on Reducing Dental Anxiety Among Orphaned Children Aged 12-15 Years-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND

Orphanage children often experience dental anxiety due to limited exposure and a lack of support. This research explores the therapeutic potential of music-based interventions like musical drama and music listening as alternatives to the traditional Tell-Show-Do (TSD) technique to alleviate anxiety.

AIM

To compare the effectiveness of musical drama and music listening over the TSD technique in reducing dental anxiety among 12-15-year-old orphanage children.

METHODOLOGY

A three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted in orphanages in Pondicherry, India. A total of 80 children were randomly allocated into three groups: musical drama (n = 25), music listening through headphones (n = 29), and TSD technique (n = 26). Patients requiring full-mouth ultrasonic scaling in a single appointment, with a minimum of 20 permanent teeth, and who were willing to participate were included. Anxiety was measured before and after the intervention using the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale Faces Version (MCDASFv). IBM SPSS Statistics V21.0 and Microsoft Excel were used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, ANOVA, and post-hoc Bonferroni tests were employed to compare the effectiveness of the interventions, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The mean anxiety score reductions were 15.32 ± 6.40 for Musical Drama, 15.06 ± 7.62 for Music Listening, and 4.00 ± 4.29 for TSD, all statistically significant (p < 0.001). One-way ANOVA comparing mean differences among the three groups showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). Post-hoc Bonferroni analysis revealed a significant difference between Musical Drama and TSD (p < 0.001), and between Music Listening and TSD (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between Musical Drama and Music Listening (p = 1.000). Both music-based interventions were more effective than TSD in reducing dental anxiety. This supports the potential of integrating music interventions in pediatric dental settings.

CONCLUSION

Musical interventions, particularly musical drama and music listening, significantly reduced dental anxiety in orphanage children compared to the TSD technique. The immersive and engaging nature of these interventions makes them effective alternatives for anxiety management in pediatric dentistry.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY

India: CTRI/2022/11/046991.