London: If that high-pitched whine of the dentist's drill fills you with fear, welcome relief is now on the way.
Scientists have developed a device which plugs into an MP3 player or mobile phone and uses a filtering technique to cancel out the noise of the drill but still allows the patient to listen to music through headphones and hear what the dentist is saying.
Studies have shown that for many it is the sound of the drill that causes the most anxiety about visiting the dentist.
The team from King's College London, Brunel University and the London South Bank University hope the device could help patients overcome their dentist phobias.
Containing a microphone and a chip that analyses soundwaves, it plugs into the MP3 player or mobile and uses "adaptive filtering" to mask only the disturbing sound of the medical equipment.
Professor Brian Millar at King's College Dental Institute said the team's inspiration for the device came from carmaker Lotus, which has developed a system to remove road noise while allowing drivers to hear emergency sirens.
Prof Millar said investors are being sought to develop the product further, adding: "The beauty of this gadget is that it would be fairly cost-effective for dentists to buy, and any patient with an MP3 player would be able to benefit from it, at no extra cost."
