The Effect of a Kaleidoscope and Cartoons for Dental Treatment in Children

Summary

Dental fear and anxiety are among the most common challenges encountered in pediatric dental practice and may negatively affect children's cooperation and acceptance of dental treatment. Local anesthesia injections are considered one of the main sources of pain and anxiety during dental procedures in children. Although pharmacological methods can be effective in managing pain and anxiety, they may not always be preferred due to potential side effects, limited applicability, and the possibility of increasing stress in children. Therefore, non-pharmacological behavioral management techniques, particularly distraction methods, are increasingly used in pediatric dentistry to reduce pain perception and anxiety.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effects of kaleidoscope use and cartoon distraction on pain, fear, and anxiety associated with local anesthesia injections in children undergoing dental treatment. The study will be conducted at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Dicle University. A total of 126 children aged between 7 and 12 years who require local infiltration anesthesia during dental treatment will be included in the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: the Kaleidoscope Group, the Cartoon Distraction Group, or the Control Group. Children in the kaleidoscope group will use a kaleidoscope during the local anesthesia injection, while children in the cartoon group will watch cartoons during the procedure. In the control group, local anesthesia will be administered according to the routine clinical procedure without any distraction technique.

Pain, fear, and anxiety levels will be assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, the Children's Fear Scale, and the Children's Anxiety Scale-State. Behavioral responses will also be evaluated using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of simple and non-pharmacological distraction techniques in reducing pain and anxiety associated with local anesthesia injections in pediatric dental patients.

Conditions

• Dental Anxiety
• Dental Fear
• Pain

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Kaleidoscope Distraction

Children will use a kaleidoscope as a visual distraction technique during the administration of local infiltration anesthesia. Before the procedure, the researcher will explain how to use the kaleidoscope, and the child will continue using it throughout the injection.

BEHAVIORAL

Cartoon Distraction

Children will watch cartoons as an audiovisual distraction technique during the administration of local infiltration anesthesia. The cartoon will be started immediately before the injection and will continue throughout the procedure.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dicle University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Elif Bilsin Kocamaz, Associate Professor · Dicle University

• Elif Bilsin kocamaz, PhD · Dicle University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

7 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-03-10

Primary Completion

2026-05-01

Completion

2026-05-10

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations