PATIENTS terrified the whirring sound of the dentist's drill could benefit from a new gadget that cancels out, scientists claim.

The group said they had come up with a device which only filters out the sound but allows people to listen their own music too.

The gadget contains a microphone and chip which analyses the incoming sound wave and then produces an inverted wave to cancel out the unwanted noise.

Patients hook up their MP3 player to the device, plug their headphones into the gadget.

They can still hear the dentist talking them, as the device locks on to the sound waves, removing them even the pitch changes as it bores into teeth.

"Many people put going to the dentist because of anxiety associated with the noise of the dentist's drill," said Professor Brian Millar of King's College London (KCL).
"But this device the potential to make fear of the drill a thing of the past.

"The beauty 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 extra cost."

Experts from KCL and the universities of Brunel and London South Bank seeking funding to take the project on.

"What we need now an investor to develop the product further, to enable us to bring this device to many dental surgeries possible, and help people whose fear of visiting the dentist stops them from seeking the oral healthcare they need," Professor Millar said.