Effectiveness of Preoperative Alpha Wave Entrainment in Pediatric Dental Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 5; p. e60154
• Main Authors: Shehani A, Farah, Samuel A, Victor, Ramar, Kavitha, Mani, Rekha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 12.05.2024; Cureus
• Subjects: Anxiety; Behavior; Blood pressure; Clinical trials; Consent; Dentistry; Females; Gender differences; Guardians; Heart rate; Intervention; Males; Mann-Whitney U test; Pediatrics; Physiology; Psychology; Software; Statistical analysis; audio-visual distraction; binaural beats; vital signs; dental fear and anxiety; alpha waves; fear and anxiety; non-pharmacological interventions; randomized control trial; brainwave entrainment; pediatric preventive dentistry
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.60154

Background Pediatric dental anxiety is a significant barrier to effective dental care, necessitating non-pharmacological interventions. Alpha wave entrainment has shown promise in adult studies for reducing procedural anxiety and pain perception, but its effectiveness in pediatric dental settings remains underexplored. Objective This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative alpha wave entrainment in alleviating anxiety in gender-specific participants to the interventions. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 252 pediatric patients (aged 7-12) with cooperative dispositions. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving alpha wave entrainment or a control group receiving conventional behavior management techniques. The experimental intervention involved 10-minute sessions of binaural beats with visual stimulation designed to induce alpha-wave synchronization. Anxiety levels were assessed using physiological measures (heart rate and blood pressure), both pre- and post-interventions. Results The intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in heart rate and systolic blood pressure post-intervention compared to the control group. These changes indicate a decrease in anxiety levels, with no significant gender differences in the response to the intervention. Conclusion Alpha wave entrainment effectively reduces dental anxiety in pediatric patients, with similar efficacy observed across genders. This study supports the incorporation of alpha wave entrainment into pediatric dental practices as a viable alternative to traditional anxiety management techniques.