Figure - available from: Clinical Dentistry Reviewed
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Source publication
Dental fear and anxiety pose a major challenge in rendering dental treatment for children. It becomes difficult to communicate with an anxious or fearful child, which is essential to build trust and rapport with the dentist. Pain threshold is also lowered in a child who is fearful or anxious making it even more difficult for a dentist to deal with...
Similar publications
Unlabelled:
Nitrous oxide inhalation sedation (NOIS) has been the backbone of anxiety alleviation in dentistry for a long time. Advantages of nitrous oxide (N2O) include anxiolysis, mild analgesia, and amnesia. It also has the ability to raise the patient pain threshold, providing rapid analgesia (RA), thus enhancing the action of any local anesth...
Citations
... Children experience pain and stress from dental procedures which evokes anxiety in them [16]. Thus, dental anxiety is a major challenge in performing dental treatment in children [17]. Dental phobia or behavior control issues continue to be a deterrent to receiving dental care. ...
Background
Midazolam is recommended by many health standards. However, there is no compelling evidence that midazolam has anti-anxiety effects in children. Homeopathy can be one of the mainstays for effective child management while reducing negative side effects. The aim of the study was to evaluate the anxiolytic efficacy of midazolam (oral) and homeopathic remedies in children during dental treatments.
Methodology
The current ex-vivo study was conducted in the department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry department of a private dental institution. A total of 48 children aged four to 14 years were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants were evenly and randomly divided into groups A and B using the lottery method. Group A: 20 minutes previous to the treatment, a right blend of an equal volume of 0.5mg/kg injectable solution of midazolam hydrochloride. Group B: Received Aconite napellus (homeopathic remedy).
Results
During anxiety, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis gets activated which causes a release of body fluids including salivary cortisol levels. Salivary amylase also responds quickly during stress and anxiety by increasing its levels.
Midazolam is used in Dentistry to reduce anxiety as it is able to reduce salivary cortisol and amylase levels. Aconite napellus being homeopathic remedy is useful in Dentistry to reduce salivary cortisol and amylase levels which is observed in the present study. There was a decrease in salivary cortisol and amylase concentrations following midazolam (8.51 ± 6.7) (41.48 ± 23.8) and Aconite napellus (homeopathic remedy) (7.53 ± 5.2) (37.08± 22.8) administration, as well as a decrease in heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Furthermore, all of the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion
In children with behavioral difficulties, homeopathic remedy was marginally more successful than oral midazolam in lowering anxiety during dental treatment.
