Effect of sensory adaptation on anxiety of children with developmental disabilities: a new approach.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a sensory-adapted dental environment (SADE) on anxiety, relaxation, and cooperation of children with developmental disabilities (CDDs). Pharmacological treatment has been widely used to reduce anxiety, but nonpharmacological methods may be similarly effective. The standardized clinical situation chosen was a dental hygiene cleaning.

Influence of adapted environment on the anxiety of medically treated children with developmental disability.

Objectives: To examine the influence of a sensory adapted environment (SAE) on the behavior and arousal levels of children with developmental disability in comparison with typical children, during a stress-provoking medical situation.

Study Design: Sixteen children (6-11 years old) with developmental disability and 19 age-matched typical children participated in a cross-over trial measuring behavioral and psychophysiological variables, performed during a dental intervention.

Results: Both groups performed better in the SAE compared with the regular environment (RE), by comparing: the mean duration of anxious behaviors in the SAE and RE (5.

Behavioural and physiological effect of dental environment sensory adaptation on children's dental anxiety.

Dental anxiety is a serious obstacle in conventional oral healthcare delivery. A sensory adapted dental environment (SDE) might be effective in reducing anxiety and inducing relaxation. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a Snoezelen SDE in reducing anxiety among children undergoing scaling and polishing by a dental hygienist.

Volitional control of autonomic arousal: a functional magnetic resonance study.

Electrodermal activity reflects autonomic sympathetic innervation of dermal sweat glands providing an index of emotion-related bodily states of arousal. Relaxation techniques, which are facilitated by external (bio)feedback of electrodermal activity, can be used by trained subjects to actively control bodily and emotional arousal. Biofeedback relaxation provides an experimental model to explore neural mechanisms contributing to emotional representations and intentional autonomic control.