Efficacy of Active Noise Cancellation Aid on Patient Anxiety Levels During Restorative Procedures : A Split Mouth Clinical Study

Dental anxiety is a significant barrier to dental care, noise from high-speed handpieces is one of the common trigger. Non-pharmacological interventions such as active noise cancellation (ANC) earplugs may help reduce anxiety levels in patients undergoing restorative procedures. Restorative procedures were performed on one side using ANC earplugs (Test) and on the contralateral side using dummy earplugs (control). Anxiety was assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and heart rate recordings at baseline and post-procedure. Data was analyzed using the statistical package SPSS 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) and level of significance was set at P<0.05. Descriptive statistics was performed to assess the mean and standard deviation of the respective groups. Inferential statistics to find out the difference Between the group was done by Independent T test. ANC earplugs significantly reduced VAS anxiety scores and heart rate compared to dummy earplugs (p < 0.05). Patients also reported greater comfort with ANC.