Dentist Jyoti Oberoi says her study, published in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, is the first of its kind in India
Dr Jyoti Oberoi has been using this technique on her patients since 2014. Pics/Sneha Kharabe
To help children beat the phobia of needles, a city-based dentist has come up with an innovative solution — hypnosis. The dentist, Dr Jyoti Oberoi has been using this technique on her kid patients to reduce their anxiety and fear of needles since 2014. Dr Oberoi's research on the method, which has been published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, is soon making its way into a book as well.
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DR Oberoi's research was published in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in 2016. The research details the use of hypnosis in helping paediatric dentists reduce the fear of needle and dental treatment among patients, especially kids. "Despite the advances in dental technology, there is always a fear among patients regarding the pain and process. The aim of the research and the book is to improve the quality of dental treatment and make it less stressful for the patients," said Dr Oberoi.
Hypnosis helps
A group of 200 children between 6-16 years of age were brought in for the research. "Two groups consisting of 100 children each were formed. One group was administered usual dental treatment, while hypnosis was performed on the other group before treating their dental issues," explained Dr Oberoi. She added, "Pulse rates of each child were recorded. The rate increased in cases where kids were given treatment without hypnosis, whereas in the other group, it was absolutely normal. This clearly exhibits that hypnosis helps in reducing anxiety, fear and pain in patients." This was the first such study by an Indian dentist to be published in the journal. Apart from Dr Oberoi's study, 64 doctors from various countries have got their research published on similar subject.
Dr Oberoi, who has been using the technique since 2014, does not charge her patients extra for it
How it's done
Dr Oberoi learnt the technique in 2014 and has been using it on her patients since. The charges for the hypnotherapy are included the nominal dental charges. How does she go about it? "So when an anxious child comes to me, a brief history is taken down about the reason behind their anxiety and fear of dental treatment. Then, the child can touch the instruments that would be used on them for the treatment. Following that, hypnotic script is used while injecting the patient, in addition to various techniques to confuse and distract them. A suggestion is given to them during this process which helps reduce their anxiety and fear." Now, she is also bringing the technique to a book titled, 'Hypnosis in Dentistry A Tool Redefined'. The book would be launched on April 4 in Nepal during a conference of the South Asian Association of Pediatric Dentistry.
Overcoming issues
Magis Doide, a certified hypnotherapist from The International Centre for Hypnosis Education and Research, USA, who has also written the foreword for the book, has said that hypnosis is an art and science that can be used to overcome psychological issues. "It can really work to reduce pain, fear and other clinical conditions in dentistry," Dodie said in the foreword.
200
No. of children brought for the research
Not avoiding the dentist anymore
Sharannya Tawde, 6, was in urgent need of a root canal, but she kept avoiding going to the dentist. That was until her chartered accountant mother, Dipali Tawde, got to know about Dr. Oberoi. She said, "We approached Dr. Oberoi on the suggestion of one of the members of our housing society. Following the visit, we were taken aback when our daughter started asking us about the next visit. Her treatment is going on and she is cooperating with the doctor now."
'Need to observe this technique'
Veteran dentist Dr Priya Chavan said, "Behavioural management, a widely used technique, is an extra edge rendered by a pediatric dentist. Hypnosis, which has been a grey area so far, has been scarcely mentioned and reported in dental journals. To be advocated in pediatric dentistry, it needs long-term research data. It is inappropriate to prematurely comment on it. If this methodology proves its mettle, then it can be effectively used for all hyper-anxious dental patients."
Also Read: Training and changing the subconscious mind
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