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

NCT06057090 · Status: TERMINATED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 41

Last updated 2026-05-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess whether the presence of a certified therapy dog during dental procedures that require an injection reduces anxiety and improves behavior in pediatric dental patients.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does the presence of a certified therapy dog during dental procedure requiring an injection reduce anxiety and improve behavior in pediatric dental patients?
* How do the parents of pediatric dental patients who participate in the study view the use of a certified therapy dog in their child's treatment?
* Does the presence of a certified therapy dog result in different concentrations of microbes in the treatment room?

All participants will receive standard of care. Researchers will compare the group with a therapy dog present to a group who does not have a therapy dog present to see if heart rate, oxygen saturation, percentage of nitrous oxide administered, and Frankl scores differ between the groups.

Conditions

  • Therapy Animals
  • Dental Anxiety
  • Child Behavior
  • Anesthesia, Local

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Therapy Dog

Certified, volunteer therapy dogs and their handlers will be present in the room during procedures in the experimental arm to see if their presence reduces anxiety and improves behavior in pediatric dental patients.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Medical University of South Carolina

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Julie L Marshall, PhD · James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
3 Years
Max Age
7 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-09-13
Primary Completion
2026-03-31
Completion
2026-03-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06057090 on ClinicalTrials.gov