Dental Anxiety and Pain During Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block in Children: the Effects of Two Distraction Techniques

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) and external cooling and vibration distraction techniques on dental anxiety and pain in children during inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled parallel arm trial included 120 children aged between 6-12 years old who required IANB. Children were randomly divided following three groups: Group I: VR eyeglasses, Group II: Buzzy® device, and Group 3: Control (conventional behavior management technique). Dental anxiety levels were measured by the pulse rate and oxygen saturation level before, during, and after IANB procedure. Pain perception during IANB procedure was assessed using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) Scale, Wong Baker Faces Scale (WBS), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS).