Effect of Sensory Adapted Dental Environment on Dental Anxiety of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Effect of Sensory Adapted Dental Environment on Dental Anxiety of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Children with intellectual/developmental disabilities (ID/DD) will experience less dental anxiety and cooperate better in a Sensory Adapted Dental Environment (modified visual, sensory, and somatosensory stimuli in a regular dental setting) than in a regular dental environment (RDE).
The aim of this pilot study is to determine the effect of sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) on reducing dental anxiety of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (ID/DD). With the growing number of children diagnosed with ID/DD and their inclusion in the community, there are more opportunities for dentists to encounter this population for their routine oral health care. If improvement in dental anxiety and behavior is evident from the study, as other pilot studies have suggested, it can be applied as one of clinical tools for treating children with ID/DDs. Furthermore, utilization of a SADE in clinical training of pediatric dentists or general dentists can improve clinicians' comfort level in managing behavior of individuals with ID/DD. This will encourage more clinicians to provide care and address the unmet oral health needs of this vulnerable population.
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