Visiting the Dentist

The Journal of Pediatrics reports on a study that did a within-subjects comparison of the effects of the environment in a dentist's office on children's anxiety levels. The children visited the dentist so the researchers could gather baseline data on anxiety levels using a behavior checklist. During the second visit interventions included changes in overhead lighting, soothing music, a heavy vest to simulate the feeling of a hug, and vibrations in the chair. For the 35 children (16 of whom were developmentally disabled), duration of anxious behavior dropped from 3.69 minutes to 1.48 minutes in non-delayed children, and from 23.44 minutes to 9.04 minutes in the delayed children. Both drops are reported as significant.