Dental Fear

The purpose of this study is to compare an intervention for dental fear to the usual approach (i.e., whatever participants' dentist typically does to help participants manage their fear). The dental fear intervention has 2 separate steps. Step 1 (the less intensive or 'light touch' intervention step) involves using a mobile application (app). Step 2 consists of a one-hour telehealth session with a mental health provider tailored to individualized dental fear. This is a randomized study. The time spent participating in the study will depend on which study condition(s) participants are randomly assigned to. Because this study compares the dental fear intervention to the standard approach, 25% of participants will not get the intervention during the study period. These participants (called controls) will be offered the opportunity to provide feedback about their experiences with dentists. Participants will be offered the intervention free of charge at the conclusion of the study. For each step of the intervention (Dental FearLess app or one-on-one session) relative to treatment as usual, the investigators hypothesize that participants will show greater declines in self-reported dental fear and improved oral health-related quality of life at post-treatment and follow-up period. De-identified attendance records will be collected from dental practices.

Dental fear and anxiety are among the most common challenges encountered in pediatric dental practice and may negatively affect children's cooperation and acceptance of dental treatment. Local anesthesia injections are considered one of the main sources of pain and anxiety during dental procedures in children. Although pharmacological methods can be effective in managing pain and anxiety, they may not always be preferred due to potential side effects, limited applicability, and the possibility of increasing stress in children. Therefore, non-pharmacological behavioral management techniques, particularly distraction methods, are increasingly used in pediatric dentistry to reduce pain perception and anxiety. The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effects of kaleidoscope use and cartoon distraction on pain, fear, and anxiety associated with local anesthesia injections in children undergoing dental treatment. The study will be conducted at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Dicle University. A total of 126 children aged between 7 and 12 years who require local infiltration anesthesia during dental treatment will be included in the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: the Kaleidoscope Group, the Cartoon Distraction Group, or the Control Group. Children in the kaleidoscope group will use a kaleidoscope during the local anesthesia injection, while children in the cartoon group will watch cartoons during the procedure. In the control group, local anesthesia will be administered according to the routine clinical procedure without any distraction technique. Pain, fear, and anxiety levels will be assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, the Children's Fear Scale, and the Children's Anxiety Scale-State. Behavioral responses will also be evaluated using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of simple and non-pharmacological distraction techniques in reducing pain and anxiety associated with local anesthesia injections in pediatric dental patients.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if audio-visual method of distraction is useful to control the pain and fear associated with dental treatment in children. The main questions it aims to answer are: • How their body reacts-such as changes in heart rate, oxygen levels, and certain chemicals in their saliva-before and after getting local anesthesia? Researchers will test two types of glasses that display cartoons to help children feel less anxious. Participants will: * Have an introductory visit to be more familiar with dental environment and their cooperation will be tested. * In the next 2 visits they will wear either of the glasses while receiving local anesthesia * Saliva will be collected, and their heart rate and oxygen levels will be calculated each time