Preliminary Study of Effects of “in vivo” Emotive Imagery on Dental Discomfort

Abstract

To examine the effects of “in vivo” emotive imagery on dental discomfort (as measured by pulse rate and self-report) 27 female subjects undergoing tooth prophylaxis were exposed to three tape-recorded treatment conditions (relaxation imagery, neutral imagery, and a blank tape) in counterbalanced order. Promising findings of a pilot study were not confirmed on heart rate; however, on self-reported discomfort, positive differences appeared between the relaxation imagery and each of the control conditions.