Sensory Adapted Dental Environments to Enhance Oral Care for Children With and Without Dental Fear and Anxiety

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · Mar 28, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how different dental environments can help reduce fear and anxiety in children during dental cleanings. Researchers want to see if a special setup called a Sensory Adapted Dental Environment (SADE), which is designed to make children feel more comfortable, is effective on its own or when combined with a video that shows what to expect during a dental visit. They will compare these methods to a regular dental environment and a video alone to find out which is best at reducing feelings of anxiety, distress, pain, and discomfort.

The study is open to children aged 6 to 12 years who have had at least one dental cleaning before. Both English- and Spanish-speaking children and their parents can participate. However, some children may not be eligible, such as those who have had a dental cleaning in the last four months, have certain medical conditions, or are planning to get braces soon. If your child is eligible and decides to join, they will experience a dental cleaning in a supportive environment that aims to make the process easier and less stressful. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, so more information will be available soon.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Male or female, aged 6 through 12 years, of any race/ethnicity;
• • English- or Spanish-speaking child and parent;
• • Have experienced at least one prior dental cleaning;
• • If recruited from the emergency department, Emergency Severity Index (ESI) must be level V or IV (to ensure that greater severity PED patients not be recruited).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Dental cleaning within the previous 4 months (i.e., not in need of cleaning);
• • Plan to move out of the area within 6 months;
• • Intellectual or developmental disability (e.g. autism; highly co-morbid with sensory processing difficulties);
• • Disability that would interfere with oral care (e.g. cleft lip/palate, cerebral palsy, genetic/endocrine/metabolic dysfunction) or medical condition that would place the child at increased risk during the study (e.g., uncontrollable seizures);
• • Daily use of anti-cholinergic drugs (i.e., interferes with EDA recordings);
• • Presence of orthodontia (braces) or with a plan to get braces in the upcoming 6 months