Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2026 Feb 4. doi: 10.1007/s40368-026-01172-4. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To assess the influence of deep diaphragmatic breathing exercises on dental anxiety during the dental visits in children aged 7-13 years.
METHODS: A total of 84 healthy participants of both genders were enrolled in this study. The participants were randomly allocated to the deep breathing (DB) group and the conventional treatment-as-usual (TU) control group. All participants underwent psychological evaluation of their behaviour using Frankl’s Rating Scale (FRS), and their anxiety level using the Facial Image Scale (FIS), in addition to a physiological assessment of blood pressure (mmHg) and heart rate (bpm) using a digital blood pressure monitor, and oxygen saturation level (SpO2%) using a pulse oximeter. These assessments were conducted at the beginning of the dental visit (T0), 5 min after beginning the dental procedure (T1), and at the end of the dental procedure (T2). Collected data were statistically analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26 to test the significance at p value ≤ 0.05.
RESULTS: The DB and TU groups showed no significant differences in baseline demographics or clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). The mean procedure time was shorter in the DB group than in the TU group (p < 0.05). During and after treatment, a higher proportion of participants in the DB group were rated as “very happy” on the FIS (p < 0.001) and “definitely positive” on the FRS (p < 0.05). Assessment of physiological parameters revealed that the lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure values during treatment were lower in the DB group (p < 0.001). Pulse rate was similarly lower in the DB group, whilst oxygen saturation remained stable across groups (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Diaphragmatic breathing effectively reduced physiological and behavioural indicators of dental anxiety in children, resulting in enhanced cooperation and shortened treatment times. Thus, it may serve as a practical, non-pharmacological approach for enhancing children’s comfort and procedural efficiency during dental treatment.
PMID:41637045 | DOI:10.1007/s40368-026-01172-4
