The Effect of Auditory Distraction and Suggestion on Tolerance for Dental Restorations in Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of auditory distraction (self-selected music) and suggestion on tolerance for dental treatments in adolescents and young adults. Forty subjects (ages 13-25) requiring restorative den tal treatment participated in the study. Individual subject dif ferences for anxiety and perceived control in a dental setting were measured during a screening appointment. No signifi cant difference was found between the adults and adoles cents on these measures. During the second appointment, subjects received standard dental treatment with local an esthesia along with auditory stimulus and suggestion that the auditory distractor would be effective. Following treat ment, subjects reported /eve/s of pain, distress, helplessness and tension using a visual analog scale. T tests revealed significant difference (p <.01)betweenadolescent and adult subjects on the measure of helplessness. Susceptibility to suggestion was believed to have contributed to this outcome. Other dependent measures were marginally significant (p i 10) or nonsignificant