'Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of nonpharmacological behavior guidance interventions used for children undergoing dental treatment visits.
Methods: Databases: Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), Embase, and Cochrane Library, were searched from 1946 to February 2022, for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing effectiveness of basic and advanced nonpharmacological techniques rendered during a dental treatment visit including sealants, restorative care, dental local anesthesia, and simple surgical procedures. The primary outcome measures were reduction in anxiety, fear, pain, and improvement in cooperative behavior. Eight authors determined the included RCTs, performed data extraction, and assessed the risk of bias (ROB). Standardized Mean Difference calculation and assignment of quality of evidence by Grading of Recommenda- tions Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach were done.
Results: Forty articles qualified for analysis from 219 screened articles. Included studies evaluated the effectiveness of pre-visit preparation and in office strategies rendered pre-/post- or during treatment such as positive imagery, direct observation/modeling, desensitization, tell-show-do and its modifications, voice control, positive reinforcement, memory restructuring, bio- feedback and breathing relaxation, animal assisted therapy, combined therapies, and cognitive behavior therapy. The certainty of evidence ranged from Very low to high and the magnitude of effect varied from trivial to large change in the desired outcomes.
Conclusions: Most of the basic non- pharmacological behavior guidance techniques showed trivial to small reduction in self-reported anxiety and/or improvement in behavior, with modeling, positive reinforcement, biofeedback relaxation, breathing relaxation, animal assisted therapy, combined tell-show-do and audiovisual distraction, and cognitive behavior therapy showing large effects in reduction of anxiety based on some scales.