Effectiveness of Sensory-Adapted Dental Environments and Multisensory interventions in Reducing Dental Anxiety Among Children: A Systematic Review
Somya Seth, Vignesh Ravindran, E. M. G. Subramanian, Deepa Gurunathan, Mahesh Ramakrishnan, Ganesh Jeevanandan, Lavanya Gurunathan, Sunny Priyatham TripathiAbstract
Objective:
Dental anxiety is a common challenge in pediatric patients, often leading to reduced cooperation and compromised treatment outcomes. Sensory-adapted interventions and multisensory interventions, such as sensory-adapted dental environments (SADEs), have been proposed to mitigate anxiety and improve child behavior during dental procedures. To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of SADE and multisensory interventions including visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory distraction techniques in reducing anxiety and enhancing cooperation in children undergoing dental treatment.
Methods:
A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, LILACS, and Google Scholar, and studies meeting predefined inclusion criteria were selected. Randomized controlled trials and interventional studies assessing SADE and multisensory interventions were included. From initial 842 articles, three were selected. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data were analyzed qualitatively, and a narrative synthesis of the findings was performed due to heterogeneity among the included studies.
Results:
Three studies were included. Across the studies, multisensory approaches consistently reduced anxiety, improved behavioral cooperation, and stabilized physiological measures such as heart rate and oxygen saturation. The overall risk of bias across studies ranged from low to moderate, primarily due to limitations in blinding and allocation concealment.
Conclusion:
SADE and multisensory interventions effectively reduce anxiety and enhance cooperation in pediatric dental patients. Implementing these approaches can improve the overall treatment experience and facilitate better behavioral and physiological outcomes during dental procedures.