Appendix 1. MEDLINE Ovid search strategy

1. DENTAL ANXIETY/
2. ANXIETY DISORDERS/
3. PHOBIC DISORDERS/
4. PANIC DISORDER/
5. or/2‐4
6. (dental or dentist$ or mouth$ or tooth or teeth).ti,ab.
7. 5 and 6
8. ((dental or dentist$ or mouth$ or oral) adj5 (anxiet$ or anxious$ or apprehensive$ or fear$ or fright$ or phobi$ or panic$ or (disrupt$ adj3 (behavior or behaviour)))).ti,ab.
9. 1 or 7 or 8
10. Reinforcement, verbal/
11. Patient compliance/
12. Psychotherapy/
13. Hypnosis, dental/
14. Autogenic training/
15. Behavior therapy/
16. Color therapy/
17. Music therapy/
18. Play therapy/
19. exp Mind‐Body Therapies/
20. Relaxation techniques/
21. (cognitiv$ adj6 (intervention$ or therap$ or treat$ or technique$ or behaviour$ or behavior$)).ti,ab.
22. ((behavior$ or behaviour$) adj6 (intervention$ or therap$ or treat$ or technique$)).ti,ab.
23. ((auditory and distract$) or (audiovisual$ adj6 distract$) or ((visual$ or music$ or verbal$) adj6 distract$)).ti,ab.
24. (((color$ or colour$ or music$ or play$) adj6 therap$) or (verbal$ adj6 encourag$) or "positive reinforc$" or reward$ or reassur$ or "tell show do" or "show tell do").ti,ab.
25. (hypnosis or hypnotic$ or image$).ti,ab.
26. Reinforcement, positive/
27. Nonverbal communication/
28. ((non‐verbal or nonverbal) adj2 communicat$).ti,ab.
29. hand‐over‐mouth.ti,ab.
30. Restraint, physical/
31. ((restrain$ or immobili$ or restrict$ or hold$) and physical$).ti,ab.
32. (contingent adj (distract$ or escap$)).ti,ab.
33. ((desensiti$ and psychocol$) or (relax$ adj6 (train$ or technique$ or therap$ or hypnotherap$)) or (therap$ adj6 touch$) or (massage$ or "breathing exercise$") or (model$ and psychol$)).ti,ab.
34. (desensit$ adj3 systematic$).ti,ab.
35. (visual$ adj5 pedagog$).ti,ab.
36. or/10‐35
37. exp child/
38. (child$ or adolescen$ or youth$ or teen$ or preteen$ or pre‐teen$).ti,ab.
39. 37 or 38
40. 9 and 36 and 39

This search retrieved 135 references from MEDLINE Ovid when combined with the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy (CHSSS) for identifying randomised trials in MEDLINE: sensitivity‐maximising version (2008 revision) as referenced in Chapter 6.4.11.1 and detailed in box 6.4.c of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Lefebvre 2011).

1. randomized controlled trial.pt.
2. controlled clinical trial.pt.
3. randomized.ab.
4. placebo.ab.
5. drug therapy.fs.
6. randomly.ab.
7. trial.ab.
8. groups.ab.
9. or/1‐8
10. exp animals/ not humans.sh.
11. 9 not 10