Effectiveness of Thaumaturgic Distraction in Alleviation of Anxiety in 4-6-year-old Children During Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block Administration: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

Journal J Dent Anesth Pain Med

Date 2023 Jun 14

PMID 37313267

Authors

Payal Kothari

Aditi Mathur

Rashmi Singh Chauhan

Meenakshi Nankar

Sunnypriyatham Tirupathi

Ashrita Suvarna

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Dental anxiety is a matter of serious concern to pediatric dentists as it may impede the efficient delivery of dental care. If not adequately resolved, a persistent negative response pattern may emerge. Thaumaturgy, commonly known as magic trick, has become popular recently. It is a tool that distracts and relaxes the child by using magic trick while the dentist performs necessary treatment. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Thaumaturgic aid in alleviation of anxiety in 4-6 - year-old children during administration of local anesthesia using the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) technique.

Methods: Thirty children aged between 4-6 years with dental anxiety requiring IANB were included in this study. Patients were divided equally into two groups: Group I, thaumaturgic aid group and Group II, conventional non-pharmacological group using randomization. Anxiety was measured before and after using the intervention with Raghavendra Madhuri Sujata-Pictorial scale (RMS-PS), Venham's anxiety rating scale, and pulse rate. All the data were tabulated and compared using statistical analysis.

Results: Children in thaumaturgy group (Group- I) exhibited significantly lower anxiety during IANB in comparison with children in the conventional group (Group- II) and the difference was statistically significant.

Conclusion: Magic tricks are effective in reducing anxiety among young children during IANB; Moreover, it expands the arsenal of behavior guidance techniques for treatment of children with anxiety and plays an important role in shaping the behavior of a child in pediatric dentistry.

Citing Articles

Thaumaturgical Distraction as a Modality for Reducing Dental Anxiety in Children: A Systematic Review.

Lekhwani P, Tirupathi S, Afnan L Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2025; 17(11):1296-1301.

PMID: 39781396 PMC: 11703761. DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10005-2998.

Non-pharmacological interventions for reducing dental anxiety in pediatric dentistry: a network meta-analysis.

Kong X, Song N, Chen L, Li Y BMC Oral Health. 2024; 24(1):1151.

PMID: 39342194 PMC: 11439256. DOI: 10.1186/s12903-024-04919-x.

Seeing the impossible: the impact of watching magic on positive emotions, optimism, and wellbeing.

Wiseman R, Watt C PeerJ. 2024; 12:e17308.

PMID: 38708358 PMC: 11067910. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17308.

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