The Role of Relaxation Therapy and Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation in the Management of Dental Anxiety in Nigeria

Dental anxiety has been managed using pharmacological techniques in clinical situations. These treatment methods are not without side effects which sometimes could be hazardous. The present study assessed the effectiveness of relaxation therapy, and cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) in the treatment of dental anxiety. In this study, 40 respondents (Mean Age =33.05; SD=11.12) who scored high on dental anxiety ( =14.25) participated in the intervention programmes. Ten respondents were assigned to each of the control and experimental groups (Control =10, Relaxation group =10, CES group =10, Combined treatment group =10). Two hypotheses were tested in the study. Percentages and means, the t-test for independent samples, and one - way ANOVA were used for analyses. Results show that exposure to therapy significantly reduced dental anxiety at post- test than at the pre-test (t (164) = 11.33, p<.01). Respondents who were exposed to relaxation therapy ( =10.70; p< .05), CES treatment ( =10.20; p< .05), and the combined treatment ( =9.40; p< .05) reported significantly lower dental anxiety compared to those in the control group ( = 18.30). In conclusion, the combination of relaxation and cranial electrotherapy stimulation significantly reduced dental anxiety and found beneficial for alleviating dental anxiety among dental patients.