The Effects of Therapy Dog Intervention on Distress in Adult Patients Undergoing Dental Procedures: A Pilot Study
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: There has been an increase in the use of therapy dogs in recent years to help people cope with anxiety provoking situations. Visiting a dentist is one of the most stressful situations for many. Some dentists simply avoid the issue, while others resort to pharmacological interventions, but there is a risk to using medications. Patients with dental anxiety often are in a vicious cycles of avoidance of dental care and poor oral hygiene resulting in serious dental problems. Recent studies have shown that therapy dogs can have psychological benefits in medical settings and in pediatric dental care. However, there has not been any data on how therapy dogs impact adult patients with dental anxiety. PURPOSE: This pilot study assessed the feasibility and efficacy of reducing dental anxiety in adult patients by using a therapy dog intervention. METHODS: Adult patients reporting dental anxiety were invited to participate in this study. After consent, participants were randomized into a therapy dog group (DOG) or standard care (SC) control group. A ten-minute intervention with a therapy dog occurred at the first two dental treatments for participants in the DOG group. Study outcomes included psychological (e.g., anxiety) and physiological (e.g., heart rate variability) assessments. RESULTS: Preliminary results for this ongoing IRB approved study (currently N=7) show that patients are open to using therapy dogs to help manage dental anxiety. However, no significant change was noted in dental anxiety or other study measures (ps>0.05). DOG group participants did report significantly higher comfort level after dental procedure compared to control group participants on a Visual Analog Scale (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Therapy dog intervention for adults with dental anxiety may be effective and less costly or risky compared to standard pharmacological interventions such as anxiolytics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 08, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1128205
Entities
People
- Wonil W. Chong
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences