Impact of Pictorial Story on Pain Perception, Situational Anxiety and Behavior in Children: A Cognitive-Behavioral Schema

Aim: The present study evaluated the effect of listening to a pictorial story about going to the dentist on pain perception, situational anxiety and behavioral feedback during dental treatment in pediatric dental patients.

Study design: Eighty, 6-7-year-old children were included The childhood anxiety-related disorders using Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) Parent Version scale and intelligence quotient using Raven's Progressive Matrices were evaluated The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, listening to a pictorial story about going to a dentist (test), or listening to a pictorial story about going to a barbershop (control). A dental treatment was performed on each subject, during which, behavior was assessed using Sound, Eye, and Motor Scale. Pain perception and situational anxiety were then assessed using Wong-Baker Fasces Pain Rating Scale and Faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale, respectively.

Results: There was a significant decrease in pain perception (P=0.02) and situational anxiety (P<0.001) in the test group. In addition, the test intervention significantly improved children behavioral feedback during dental treatment (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Preparation of children with pictorial story can be effective in decreasing pain perception and situational anxiety as well as improving behavior during dental treatment.

pictorial story, pain perception, situational anxiety, behavior, intelligence quotient

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