CONTROLE DA ANSIEDADE PELA TÉCNICA DE ACUPUNTURA A LASER EM CRIANÇA: RELATO DE CASO

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate anxiety related to dental care using the laser acupuncture technique. Case Report: A 7-year-old female patient attended the dental school for a consultation. Clinical and radiographic examinations revealed the presence of carious lesions in teeth 75 and 85 that required restorative treatment. The use of laser acupuncture was randomized and blinded (on day 1 there was application of the acupuncture and on day 2 there was no application). The Modified Childhood Dental  Anxiety  Scale-Faces (MCDASf) was applied before and after restoration and laser acupuncture only before the procedure. The evaluation of heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation level (SpO2) in triplicate was evaluated before and after the restorative procedure. Both procedures were performed by the same professional and standardized in terms of materials and techniques. Laser acupuncture was performed by a licensed professional not involved in the clinical procedures (Therapy EC, DMC Equipamentos®, São Carlos/SP, Brazil), and was applied to two points (YinTang and C7) using 4 J/cm²; infrared light. Results: The results on day 1 showed an average HR of 101 before and 81.6 after; on day 2, it was 94.6 and 86.6, respectively. Regarding oxygenation, on day 1, it was 98%, remaining the same after the procedure; on day 2, the average was 97.3% before the consultation and 97% after the end. Conclusion: The use of the laser resulted in a reduction in self-reported anxiety by the patient.