Benefits of Animal-assisted Therapy in Pediatric Dentistry – a Pilot Trial

Objectives: To evaluate whether the presence of a certified therapy dog specially trained for working in a dental setting may facilitate dental care of anxious pediatric patients.
Methods: The Norwegian Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics approved this randomized cross-over trial with a study sample of n=16 (ref. 2017/1078, RECNorth). Pediatric patients referred to specialist care at the Public Dental Service Competence Centre of Northern Norway (TkNN) because of anxiety, were invited to partake in the trial. Study participants met twice for an intraoral examination, with the presence of a therapy dog in the clinic during one session. The allocation to have the therapy dog present on either the first or second session was determined randomly. The patient decided whether the therapy dog should be on their lap while laying in the dental chair, or rest on an electric adjustable veterinary table adjacent to the chair, alternatively stay on the floor while being monitored by the dog handler, who also is a licensed dentist.
The primary outcome was the assessment of patient compliance during the intraoral examination. Secondary outcomes were measurements of (1) child satisfaction, (2) anxiety, by use of the CFSS-DS scale (Dental subscale of Children's Fear Survey Schedule) completed by a parent/guardian, (3) salivary cortisol level, (4) heart rate variability and (5) skin conductance. The trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03324347).
Results: All the study participants so far (n=9) have demonstrated excellent compliance during an intraoral examination in the presence of a therapy dog. Moreover, all study participants and their parent/guardian have reported high satisfaction scores after experiencing the presence of a therapy dog in the dental clinic.
Conclusions: Animal-assisted therapy by use of a therapy dog in a dental care setting appears to have a positive effect on children with dental anxiety or children that avoid dental care.