title: Autonomic responses to dental procedures in pedodontic patients during a standard restoration session.
abstract: Autonomic and behavioral responses to seven dental procedures were studied in 21 pedodontic patients aged six to 12. When mean pulse rate, pulse amplitude, absolute skin conductance, and skin-conductance responses were compared over all subjects, the injection of the local anesthetic consistently elicited the greatest response. In five patients where anesthesia was inadequate, painful high-speed drilling also elicited large responses. When autonomic responses were compared between high-anxious and low-anxious children, both groups showed similar transient responsiveness. High-anxious children showed a significantly higher basal level of sympathetic activity.
mesh_terms: D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003755:Dental High-Speed Technique; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D011674:Pulse
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local