Which audio distraction technique is more effective for reduction the pain and anxiety of pediatric dental patients; "music" or "kids-story"? A randomized split-mouth crossover clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Control of pain, fear, and anxiety of children during dental procedures is a major challenge in pediatrics. This study aimed to compare the effect of audio distraction by music and audio-story on pain and anxiety of children during dental treatment.

METHODS: This randomized crossover clinical trial evaluated 60 systemically healthy children between 4 and 8 years, who were candidates for pulpotomy and steel crown of bilateral primary maxillary first or second molars. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of music-story (M first), and story-music (S first) according to the sequence of receipt of the distraction techniques with a split-mouth design. The level of pain and anxiety of patients was measured using physiological scales such as pulse rate (PR), sound-eye-motor (SEM) and faces pain rating (FPR). The pkcross package in Stata software version 14 was used to assess the treatment effect, period effect, sequence effect and carryover effect.

RESULTS: In each group, 28 cases were included in the analysis. The difference in PR was not significant at the onset and termination of each treatment session between two distraction techniques and also, the mean FPR (P = 0.55) and SEM (P > 0.99) scores were not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The "audio-story" and "music" distraction techniques were not significantly different for pediatrics relieving during LA administration. Thus, considering the equal efficacy of the two techniques, dental clinicians can use any of the two to distract children.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: The study registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20190702044077N1).