Dog-Assisted Therapy in Dentistry

University of Tromso (UiT)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dental Anxiety; Pediatric Dentistry; Animal Assisted Therapy

Treatments: Procedure: Therapydog

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03324347

2017/1078 (REK)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Dog-assisted therapy (DAT) is used in several contexts within various areas of health care. One documented effect is that the proximity of a dog may lower anxiety in perceived stressful situations. Many individuals are afraid to visit the dentist, and someone to the extent that they need medication or anesthesia in order to complete their dental treatment. Based on the literature and own empirical observations, the investigators believe that dog-assisted therapy in connection with dental care may have a positive effect on children with dental anxiety or children that avoid dental care. It is desirable to restrict the use of drugs for these patients because of associated risk and side effects.

The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate whether using a specially trained therapy dog can have a positive effect on children who are afraid in a dental care setting. Eligible participants (n=16) will meet twice at the dental clinic; one treatment session with a therapy dog in the dental clinic and one without. The therapy dog will be accompanied by a certified dog handler. The investigators will measure physiological variations before, during and after the treatment session. The guardian will complete validated questionnaires portraying the participant's experience of previous dental care. The participant and their guardian will also complete validated questionnaires describing their reactions from the two treatment sessions. A descriptive log for each session will be completed by the investigators.

Enrollment: 16 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 12 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Children who are afraid of visiting the dental office / children who avoid dental treatment,
• Children who accept the presence of a dog,
• Parents or guardians who accept the presence of a dog

Exclusion criteria

• Children or parent/guardian that are afraid of dogs,
• Children or parent/guardian with known dog allergy,
• Children who are immunocompromised,
• Children who cannot understand or complete the patient-questionnaire

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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16 participants in 2 patient groups

Therapydog

Experimental group

Description:

A certified therapydog (together with a certified dog-handler) will be present in the dental clinic while the child will undergo a clinical dental examination by licenced pediatric dentist.

Treatment:

Procedure: Therapydog

No therapydog

No Intervention group

Description:

No therapydog will be present in the dental clinic while the child will undergo a clinical dental examination by licenced pediatric dentist.