Impact of Therapy Dogs on Child Anxiety and Behavior During Local Anesthesia for Dental Procedures
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Therapy dog presence, Standard-of-care basic behavior guidance.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Situational Anxiety, Behavior. Basic parameters: 4 years — 12 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Impact of Therapy Dogs on Anxiety and Behavior of Pediatric Dental Patients During Local Anesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Overview
Therapy dogs in dental offices might help anxious children during dental care. Therapy dogs might help children during injection of local anesthetic, when we inject numbing medication before working on the teeth. The goal of this study is to learn if having a therapy dog with a child during the injection of numbing medication helps children to be more comfortable at the dentist's office. This study is of children who need dental care using local anesthesia. Study participant's behavioral reactions and heart rate during injection of local anesthetic with and without having a therapy dog present will be recorded and children and their guardians will be asked a few short questions about the injection and therapy dog after injection.
Detailed description
Children undergoing dental restorative or surgical procedures require injection of local anesthetic. The injection procedure is often the most anxiety-producing stimulus for children during dental care, when children demonstrate the highest level of emotional distress. Several studies have investigated various interventions, such as distraction, hypnosis, and cognitive behavioral therapy to ease this stress. Animal-assisted therapy (e.g. the presence of a therapy dog) may be a promising strategy for managing anxiety in young dental patients. However, no studies have explored the potential benefits of using therapy dogs specifically during the administration of local anesthesia in pediatric dental patients. The objective of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate the effects of therapy dogs on pediatric dental patients during local anesthesia administration.
Interventions
- Behavioral Therapy dog presence
A trained therapy dog will be present during the child's dental appointment. The dog will be in the operatory as the child enters the room and will lie on the child during injection of local anesthesia. - Behavioral Standard-of-care basic behavior guidance
Basic behavior guidance as defined by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry includes strategies to help children cope through potentially stressful dental procedures. These strategies include tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, parental presence, and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia, among others.
Primary outcome measures
- Behavior (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability scale) [Time frame: Every 30 seconds from entry into the operatory through one-minute following injection of local anesthesia]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Heart rate [Time frame: Every 30 seconds from entry into the operatory through one-minute following injection of local anesthesia]
- Anxiety assessment (Modified Faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety scale) [Time frame: Upon entering the operatory and after administration of local anesthesia]
- Parent questionnaire [Time frame: Following injection of local anesthetic]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age range: children aged 4- to 12-years
- Health status: healthy children without significant medical conditions (ASA I or ASA II)
- Dental procedure: children scheduled for at least two dental procedures requiring local anesthesia
- Consent: written informed consent from the parent or legal guardian
- Verbal assent from potential subjects age 4-9 years; written assent for children age 10-12 years
Exclusion criteria
- Allergies: children with known allergies to dogs or animal dander
- Children with a fear or phobia of dogs
- Children with a behavioral disorder which may negatively impact response to the presence of a therapy dog
- Previous exposure: children who have previously undergone dental procedures with local anesthesia in the presence of a therapy dog
- Medical conditions: children with medical conditions that might affect their vital signs independently of the dental procedure (e.g., heart conditions)
- Parental discomfort: cases where parents are uncomfortable with the presence of a therapy dog during the procedure
- Advanced behavior guidance is indicated: children whose behavior for dental examination is classified as "Definitely Negative" (Frankl 1)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- University of Michigan School of Dentistry Children's Clinic — Ann Arbor
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06725134 · HUM00260476