From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety
Background/Objectives: Alginate dental impressions are often among the most anxiety-inducing procedures for pediatric patients due to discomfort caused by nausea, gagging, and the vomiting reflex. This technique frequently raises anxiety levels in children. In contrast, intraoral scanners are increa...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/866 |
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| author | Isabel Cristina Miranda Ataíde Clara Serna-Muñoz Cristina Maria Ferreira Guimaraes Pereira Areias Álvaro Amadeu Ferreira de Azevedo Romeu Eduardo Pereirinha Henriques Ferreira de Andrade Antonio José Ortiz-Ruiz |
| author_facet | Isabel Cristina Miranda Ataíde Clara Serna-Muñoz Cristina Maria Ferreira Guimaraes Pereira Areias Álvaro Amadeu Ferreira de Azevedo Romeu Eduardo Pereirinha Henriques Ferreira de Andrade Antonio José Ortiz-Ruiz |
| author_sort | Isabel Cristina Miranda Ataíde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background/Objectives: Alginate dental impressions are often among the most anxiety-inducing procedures for pediatric patients due to discomfort caused by nausea, gagging, and the vomiting reflex. This technique frequently raises anxiety levels in children. In contrast, intraoral scanners are increasingly used in clinical practice and offer a more comfortable alternative. Physiological parameters such as heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (SpO<sub>2</sub>) are useful, objective indicators of anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate significant changes in HR and SpO<sub>2</sub> during dental impression procedures using two techniques—an analog (alginate) and a digital (intraoral scanner) one—in both dental arches, to determine the method inducing the least anxiety. Methods: A non-interventional clinical study was conducted on a sample of 30 children. A fingertip pulse oximeter was used to measure HR and SpO<sub>2</sub> during impression taking with alginate and with an intraoral scanner. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS<sup>®</sup> (Version 30.0. Amonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were calculated, and the Friedman and Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni correction were applied, using a 5% significance level. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia. Results: Alginate impressions produced a statistically significant increase in HR in both the upper [(19 ± 11) bpm] and lower [(18 ± 9) bpm] arches compared to the scanner [(7 ± 5) bpm and (7 ± 4) bpm, respectively] (χ<sup>2</sup> = 49.30; <i>p</i> < 0.001). SpO<sub>2</sub> levels also dropped more when using alginate for both the upper and lower arches [(−2 ± 2)% and (−2 ± 3)%, respectively] than when using the scanner [(−1 ± 1)% in both arches] (χ<sup>2</sup> = 21.41; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Conclusions: Alginate impressions triggered a significant anxiety response, as evidenced by significant changes in HR and SpO<sub>2</sub>. Intraoral scanners were less invasive, as indicated by the greater proximity of the physiological parameters to the baseline values, making them a promising alternative in pediatric dentistry. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-02eeefb1fb0740b68f291592abd51e00 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj-art-02eeefb1fb0740b68f291592abd51e002025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672025-06-0112786610.3390/children12070866From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s AnxietyIsabel Cristina Miranda Ataíde0Clara Serna-Muñoz1Cristina Maria Ferreira Guimaraes Pereira Areias2Álvaro Amadeu Ferreira de Azevedo3Romeu Eduardo Pereirinha Henriques Ferreira de Andrade4Antonio José Ortiz-Ruiz5Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-393 Porto, PortugalChildren’s Integrated Dental Clinic, Department of Dermatology, Stomatology, Radiology and Physical Medicine, University of Murcia, 30008 Murcia, SpainRISE-Health, I&D Unit, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Oporto University, 4200-393 Porto, PortugalRISE-Health, I&D Unit, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Oporto University, 4200-393 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Dental Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-393 Porto, PortugalBiomedical Research Institute of Murcia Pascual Parrilla-IMIB, 30120 Murcia, SpainBackground/Objectives: Alginate dental impressions are often among the most anxiety-inducing procedures for pediatric patients due to discomfort caused by nausea, gagging, and the vomiting reflex. This technique frequently raises anxiety levels in children. In contrast, intraoral scanners are increasingly used in clinical practice and offer a more comfortable alternative. Physiological parameters such as heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (SpO<sub>2</sub>) are useful, objective indicators of anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate significant changes in HR and SpO<sub>2</sub> during dental impression procedures using two techniques—an analog (alginate) and a digital (intraoral scanner) one—in both dental arches, to determine the method inducing the least anxiety. Methods: A non-interventional clinical study was conducted on a sample of 30 children. A fingertip pulse oximeter was used to measure HR and SpO<sub>2</sub> during impression taking with alginate and with an intraoral scanner. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS<sup>®</sup> (Version 30.0. Amonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were calculated, and the Friedman and Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni correction were applied, using a 5% significance level. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia. Results: Alginate impressions produced a statistically significant increase in HR in both the upper [(19 ± 11) bpm] and lower [(18 ± 9) bpm] arches compared to the scanner [(7 ± 5) bpm and (7 ± 4) bpm, respectively] (χ<sup>2</sup> = 49.30; <i>p</i> < 0.001). SpO<sub>2</sub> levels also dropped more when using alginate for both the upper and lower arches [(−2 ± 2)% and (−2 ± 3)%, respectively] than when using the scanner [(−1 ± 1)% in both arches] (χ<sup>2</sup> = 21.41; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Conclusions: Alginate impressions triggered a significant anxiety response, as evidenced by significant changes in HR and SpO<sub>2</sub>. Intraoral scanners were less invasive, as indicated by the greater proximity of the physiological parameters to the baseline values, making them a promising alternative in pediatric dentistry.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/866alginate impressionanalogic impressionchildrendental fear/anxiety/stressheart rateintraoral scanner |
| spellingShingle | Isabel Cristina Miranda Ataíde Clara Serna-Muñoz Cristina Maria Ferreira Guimaraes Pereira Areias Álvaro Amadeu Ferreira de Azevedo Romeu Eduardo Pereirinha Henriques Ferreira de Andrade Antonio José Ortiz-Ruiz From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety Children alginate impression analogic impression children dental fear/anxiety/stress heart rate intraoral scanner |
| title | From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety |
| title_full | From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety |
| title_fullStr | From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety |
| title_short | From Alginate to Pixel: Comparing the Effect of Two Dental Impression Methods on Children’s Anxiety |
| title_sort | from alginate to pixel comparing the effect of two dental impression methods on children s anxiety |
| topic | alginate impression analogic impression children dental fear/anxiety/stress heart rate intraoral scanner |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/866 |
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