The Effectiveness of Three-Dimensional Music Therapy in Reducing Dental Anxiety in 6-7 Years Old Children

Background: Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain. Given the calming effects of music and the emergence of a new genre known as three-dimensional (3D) music, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 3D music therapy in reducing dental anxiety in 6–7-year-old children.Methods and Materials: This applied, quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pre-test/post-test design. The sample was selected from 6-7 year-old children admitting to a private dental clinic in Rafsanjan, Iran. Prior to receiving any treatment, patients were evaluated in terms of dental anxiety using the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale. Children with relatively high or high levels of dental anxiety were included in the study. A total of 60 children were enrolled and were randomly divided into three equal groups (n=20): control, regular music and 3D music groups. All participants underwent the same dental treatment during their second session and pre- and post-treatment anxiety levels were measured for all. Intra- and inter-group comparisons were conducted. P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The three groups were homogeneous with respect to potential confounding variables such as the child’s age, parental age, education level, and occupation. According to Kruskal-Wallis test, there was no statistically significant difference between the study groups in terms of baseline anxiety levels (P=0.883). However, after the intervention, the mean anxiety score increased in the control group (2.90 ± 1.12 versus 3.45 ± 1.32), while it decreased in both the regular music (2.90 ± 1.45 versus 2.70 ± 1.45) and 3D music groups (3.05 ± 1.23 versus 2.95 ± 1.31).Conclusion: Given the reduction in anxiety levels observed in both the music and 3D music groups, the use of  3D music therapy can be recommended as an effective method to alleviate dental anxiety in pediatric patients.