Non-Pharmacologic Interventions for Hemodynamic Stability During Dental Implant Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of non-pharmacologic interventions, specifically auditory distraction (music or comedy) and haptic distraction (stress-relief device), in maintaining hemodynamic stability during dental implant surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective, single-center, randomized trial. We included 150 patients getting single-tooth implants. Patients were split into three groups of 50. The Control group got standard care. The Auditory Distraction group listened to patient-selected Guzheng music or Xiangsheng comedy. The Haptic Distraction group used a stress-relief device. We recorded systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate before and after surgery. We used paired t-tests and one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc tests for analysis. RESULTS: Surgery increased blood pressure in all groups (p < 0.0001). The heart rate response was different between groups. The Control group had a significant increase in heart rate (p < 0.05). Both the Auditory and Haptic Distraction groups had lower heart rates after surgery (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Non-pharmacologic interventions may not fully prevent the rise in blood pressure from procedure-related BP elevation. However, these methods help stop the heart rate from rising due to physiological stress. Listening to familiar music or comedy, or using a simple stress-relief device, can help steady the heart during dental implant surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Auditory and haptic distractions are low-cost, non-invasive, and effective adjuncts for managing procedure-related physiological stress. By stabilizing heart rate, these interventions enhance patient safety and comfort, offering a viable alternative or supplement to pharmacological sedation in implant dentistry.