Do Therapy Dogs Improve Behavior and Reduce Anxiety in Pediatric Dental Patients?

Launched by MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · Sep 21, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing whether having a certified therapy dog in the dental treatment room helps calm children and improve behavior during dental work that involves an injection (local anesthesia). It’s a randomized, parallel-group trial, meaning kids are assigned by chance to either the therapy-dog group or a standard-care group with no dog. The researchers will compare behavior using a four-point Frankl scale (1 = definitely negative, 4 = definitely positive) at several points around the procedure, and will also look at heart rate, oxygen levels, and the amount of nitrous oxide used. They’ll also measure how anxious parents feel through short surveys, and will check the lightly touched area for microbes before and after the therapy dog’s presence in the room.

To participate, children should be 3 to 7 years old and currently be patients at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Pediatric Dentistry clinic. They must be healthy enough for anesthesia (ASA I or II), not have an emergency condition, and not have a dog allergy or a history of problematic dog exposure. A parent must consent and be present during the visit, and the anticipated procedure should take less than an hour. If enrolled, the child will be randomly assigned to either the therapy-dog group (the dog and handler stay in the room for the whole procedure) or the control group (no therapy dog). The study is being conducted in Charleston, SC, and is currently enrolling by invitation, with results not yet published.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 3-7
• • Children who are patients at the Medical University of South Carolina Department of Pediatric Dentistry
• • Children classified as category 1 or 2 according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification
• • Children whose parents/guardians are willing to consent to the child participating in the study
• • Availability of parent to be present during treatment
• • Children who require further care that includes the injection of a local anesthetic and whose procedure will take less than one hour
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients whose cases are considered emergencies
• • Patients who are classified as category 3 or higher according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification (6)
• • If patient's medical status has worsened since initial evaluation
• • Known allergy to dogs or other animals
• • Past history of dental trauma
• • Past history of animal bites or traumatic experience with a dog
• • Emotional or developmental delays
• • If, on the day of the treatment, patient presents with fever or other illness