Pharmacological vs. non-pharmacological interventions for anxiety control in dental implant surgery: a systematic review
Abstract
Background: Dental anxiety associated with dental implant surgery can adversely affect patient comfort, cooperation, and overall procedural outcomes. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are commonly employed to manage preoperative anxiety; however, their comparative effectiveness remains unclear. A systematic evaluation of these approaches is important to determine their relative benefits in terms of anxiety reduction, onset of action, safety profile, and patient acceptability. Existing evidence suggests that pharmacological interventions may provide rapid anxiolytic effects, whereas non-pharmacological approaches, such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness-based interventions, and audio distraction, may reduce anxiety without the potential adverse effects associated with medication use. Therefore, this systematic review aims to compare the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological anxiety control strategies in dental implant surgery and evaluate their clinical applicability in optimizing patient management.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for the management of dental anxiety in adult patients undergoing dental implant surgery, up to September 2025. The systematic review was conducted according to a pre-specified protocol in…
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