Research Article | World J Oral Health Dent. 2018;1(1):001 | Open Access
Homeopathic Combination before Dental Treatment for Anxiety Reduction in Children - Pilot Study
Avia Fux-Noy, Ofra Bachar, Elizabeth Yodko, Joseph Shapira, Sarit Faibis, Doron Steinberg, Batya Zaks, Gisele Obadia-Afriat, Martine Toledano, Nili Tickotsky and Moti Moskovitz
PDFAbstract
Objectives: We assessed the effectiveness of homeopathic remedy in decreasing children’s anxiety before dental treatment by measuring saliva cortisol and α-amylase levels.
Design: The study was of double blinded crossover design. The study group comprised of eleven 5-9 years old children that exhibited anxiety. The homeopathic remedy comprised of a mixture of Ambra grisea 7cH/Arsenicum album 7cH/Gelsemium sempervirens 9cH/Ignatia amara 9cH/ alcohol 18%. Two comparable dental restorative treatments were performed. Levels of salivary cortisol and α-amylase were measured on the day of dental treatment at two time points.
Results: Salivary cortisol levels were low in both study and control groups before treatment, but differed during dental treatment: they were elevated in the control but almost didn’t change in the homeopathic group. This biomarker suggests lower anxiety in the homeopathic group than in the control group. Post-treatment Facial Image Scale scores in the homeopathic group were not significantly lower than in the pre-treatment. Pulse rate, oxygen saturation, and Houpt score were similar in both the control and the study group.
Conclusions: Although the results were not conclusive, an interesting trend of lower anxiety levels among the homeopathic group compared to placebo was indicated by salivary cortisol and α-amylase levels. Further research is needed.
Keywords: Homeopathic remedy; Children’s anxiety; Dental treatment
Citation: Fux-Noy A, Bachar O, Yodko E, Shapira J, Faibis S, Steinberg D, et al. Homeopathic Combination before Dental Treatment for Anxiety Reduction in Children – Pilot Study. J Oral Health Dent. 2018;1(1):001