Pediatric Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety and uncooperative behavior frequently interfere with the successful delivery of dental treatment in children and may increase the need for pharmacological behavior management. Storytelling is a widely used non-pharmacological behavior guidance technique that can improve participants' familiarity with the dental environment and enhance cooperation. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) enable the development of personalized storybooks tailored to each participant's individual characteristics and preferences, which may improve engagement with behavior guidance interventions. This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of three behavior guidance approaches in pediatric participants receiving dental treatment: (1) an AI-generated personalized dental storybook, (2) a standard dental storybook, and (3) standard behavior guidance alone. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to one of the three study groups. The AI-generated storybook will be individually designed according to each participant's characteristics and interests, whereas the standard storybook will contain the same dental theme without personalization. Participants in the control group will receive routine non-pharmacological behavior guidance used in pediatric dental practice. Behavioral cooperation, dental anxiety, treatment acceptance, and other prespecified outcomes will be assessed using validated measurement tools before and during dental treatment.

Pediatric dental anxiety and pain management present significant clinical challenges during routine treatment. While conventional behavior management techniques exist, their inconsistent effectiveness necessitates the continuous search for alternative solutions. Brainwave entrainment (BWE) , a novel approach using audiovisual stimuli to induce relaxing alpha waves (8-12 Hz) , shows promise in anxiety and pain management. However, its application in pediatric dentistry remains insufficiently explored, particularly for invasive dental procedures.