Background: The objective of behavioral guidance is to establish effective communication that aligns with a child's requirements to manage disruptive behavior. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tell-Show-Do and Ask-Tell-Ask techniques in managing dental anxiety in children during their initial appointment. Methods: The study included 50 children (28 boys and 22 girls) without any prior experience between the ages of 7 and 11 at their first dental visit. The children were randomly categorized into two groups: Group 1, Tell Shows Do, and Group 2, Ask-Tell-Ask. Subsequently, all children underwent noninvasive treatment procedures such as restorations, sealants, and oral prophylaxis. Furthermore, behavioral management techniques were employed based on the allocated group. Finally, anxiety levels for all children were assessed using the Raghavendra, Madhuri, and Sujata Pictorial Scale (RMS-PS) and heart rate at three different intervals (before, during, and after). The obtained data were entered into Microsoft Excel, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. A paired t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to compare the mean and median values of the two groups and determine their effectiveness. Results: Children in the TSD group exhibited statistically significant heart rates and RMS-PS scores in intra-group comparisons. However, children in the ask-tell-ask group showed a significant reduction only in the RMS-PS scores (P < 0.001) but not in the measures used to assess heart rate (P < 0.001). Conclusion Tell-Show-Do was more effective than ask-tell-ask in alleviating dental anxiety in children. The simultaneous application of these two strategies can synergistically alleviate dental anxiety during a child’s initial dentist appointment.

Background: Distraction is a technique used to divert a patient’s attention from unpleasant procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of kaleidoscopy, virtual reality, and video games in reducing anxiety and pain during invasive dental procedures in children. Methods: Sixty-six children aged 6 to 9 years were randomly assigned to three groups during local anesthesia administration: Group 1 (kaleidoscope), Group 2 (virtual reality), and Group 3 (mobile video games). The anxiety of the children was evaluated using physiological measures (heart rate) at three different time points: before, during, and after the procedure. The Raghavendra, Madhuri, and Sujata pictorial scale was used as a subjective measure before and after the procedure. Subjective measures of pain were assessed using the Wong–Baker Faces Pain Scale. The data were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: In the intergroup comparison, there were no statistically significant differences in the physiological measures of anxiety scores between the three groups before, during, and after distraction. Raghavendra, Madhuri, and Sujata pictorial scale scores were assessed before and after distraction, but no statistically significant differences were observed. Among the three groups, the children in Group 2 showed a significant reduction in pain scores. Conclusion Compared with kaleidoscopes and video games, virtual reality is a promising distraction technique for reducing dental fear, anxiety, and pain during local anesthesia administration in children.