34 - Sunday, May 11, 1986 - North Shore News WHAT DO video games and Buster Keaton have in common? When it comes to taking the anxiety out of dental treatment, both work equally well. Dental patients who played elec- tronic ping pong or viewed a mon- tage of comedy film clips while having their teeth filled experi- enced less stress than did patients who merely listened to an audio tape of comedy routines, according to a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. While both the video game and comedy film demanded enough at- tention to help Patients take their minds off the typically anxiety- provoking dental procedure being performed, the audio tape proved no more effective in alleviating anxiety than did a control situation in which patients received no distraction at all. “We expected the two video conditions to be more distracting than the comedy tape. But we also expected the video game to be more distracting than the comedy film, which wasn't the case,"’ said principal author Sait K. Seyred, D.D.S., associate professor at the Schoo! of Dentistry, State Univer- sity of New York at Buffalo. “Contrary to previous theory, distraction involving the perfor- mance of a motor task isn’t neces- sary to lower dental anxiety,’’ said co-author Norman L. Corah, Ph.D., professor of behavioral science at the School of Dentistry. The key ingredient in distraction is physiological arousal, Seyrek and Corah concluded. By at- taching electrodes to patient's fingers during treatment, they discovered that the video game and video comedy patients showed higher levels of physiological arousal than both the audio and control groups. In fact, the highest levels were found in those wat- ching the comedy film. “A significant increase in physiological arousal, whether or not it's the result of motor activity, appears to reflect successful distraction during dental pro- cedures,’ Seyred said. Seyred noted a major difference between distraction and relaxation as methods of helping dental pa- tients cope with their fear. “*Relaxation techniques aim at lowering physiological response — you «can's be relaxed and anxious atthe same time. Distraction tech- niques, on the other hand, try to help patients transfer their atten- ‘Aion to something other, than what the dentist is doing.” ar : | Sale Prices ; - ia oN | start Sunday, May 11th, ‘E Woodward's | oH , Account Card TES eg BURNS HOT * Z Woodward's ~.BULK sainer’s 'ieners. "Regular or Barbecue for: great. fresh taste. :Blg Cast Iron | © 2grill: Hibachi °:. “Sale Price 9.99 Barbecue Sections .Look for the Special Barbecue Sections that. have all the | charcoal, starter,: foil, sauces and all the good things that : go with outdoor eating. Remember you can count on our quality in meats, . produce and. ‘bakery: 20 ib bag. — Charcoal - YOU SAVE; 2.32 PER BAG UNBRANDED “Hot [Dog Hamburger Buns 67