Association of Fear and Anxiety Scales in Pediatric Dental Patients Using Brainwave Entrainment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Dental fear and anxiety are significant issues among pediatric patients, often complicating dental treatments. Various tools measure these emotional responses, including subjective scales such as the Visual Facial Anxiety Scale (VFAS) and Children Fear Scale (CFS), and objective scales such as Venham's Anxiety Scale (VAS) and Frankl Behavior Rating Scale (FBRS). This study explores the association between these measures in children subjected to brainwave entrainment (BWE) therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the association between subjective and objective fear and anxiety measures in pediatric dental patients within both the brainwave entrainment (BWE) intervention group and control group. Methods This randomized controlled trial included pediatric participants aged seven to 12 years reporting to the department for dental treatment. Participants were randomized into two following groups: an experimental group receiving BWE therapy and a control group receiving traditional behavioral management. Fear and anxiety levels were measured using subjective and objective scales before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Spearman's correlation to examine the associations between these scales, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results Post-intervention analysis revealed significant correlations between subjective and objective measures of fear and anxiety in both groups. In the BWE group (N=126), there was a moderate positive correlation between the VFAS and VAS (rho=0.540, p<0.001) and a strong negative correlation between the CFS and FBRS (rho=-0.666, p<0.001). The control group (N=126) showed stronger correlations, rho=0.778 for anxiety scales and rho=-0.817 for fear and behavior scales (p<0.001). Combined data analysis from both groups (N=252) confirmed strong correlations. Conclusion This study found a significant association between subjective and objective measures of fear and anxiety in pediatric dental patients within both the brainwave entrainment (BWE) intervention group and control group. Thereby proving that self-reporting behavioral scales are useful for quickly assessing anxiety in pediatric dental settings.