An anxious child needs local anesthesia. How should behavior guidance be chosen?
Build rapport, assess development and baseline behavior, and choose an acceptable technique with the child/family.
- Adapt communication, tell-show-do, and distraction to the observed response.
- Music/3D audiovisual injection benefits mainly involve positive baseline behavior; evidence for negative baseline behavior is uncertain.
- Counter-stimulation and motor/breathing distraction may reduce anxiety/pain, but cooperation benefit is unproven.
- Explain uncertainty rather than promise success.