An interventional study of Therapy Dog in Therapy Animals, Dental Anxiety and Child Behavior, sponsored by Medical University of South Carolina. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 3 Years to 7 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-04.
Sponsored by Medical University of South Carolina · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
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:
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.
224 studies on the registry are indexed under Child Behavior; 41 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 41 is below the median of 140 across 197 interventional studies indexed under Child Behavior.
Browse Child Behavior studies →Medical University of South Carolina is the lead sponsor of 874 studies on the registry; 166 are open to participants now.
Of its 131 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 104 (79%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
ASA physical status
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
This group will have a certified therapy dog present in the treatment room throughout the procedure. Prior to the procedure, the participant will be briefly introduced to the therapy dog and handler, who will remain in the room until the end of the procedure.
Behavioral: Therapy Dog
The control group receives standard of care and does not have a therapy dog present in the room during their treatment.
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.
Behavioral measure, using the Frankl score
Behavior will be recorded using the Frankl score, which ranges from 1 (definitely negative) to 4 (definitely positive)
Time frame: This behavior measure will be recorded at four timepoints: 1) immediately before the procedure, 2) during the procedure 3) during the procedure, and 4) immediately after the procedure
Parent survey responses
Parents will be given a short survey about their child's participation in the study. Each arm of the study has its own survey. The survey for the control group is 4 multiple choice questions and one open-ended question. The survey for the experimental group contains 3 multiple choice questions and 1 open-ended question.
Time frame: The surveys will be administered immediately after the procedure.
Microbial concentration
In the experimental arm, the dental operatory will be swabbed prior to the arrival of the therapy dog and again after the therapy dog as left. For the control group, the operatory will be swabbed.
Time frame: Experimental group: prior to arrival of therapy dog, and after departure of therapy dog. Control group: prior to arrival of participant, after departure of participant
Anxiety measure, heart rate
The participant's heart rate will be recorded, using a finger pulse oximeter
Time frame: The heart rate will be recorded at four timepoints: 1) immediately before the procedure, 2) during the procedure 3) during the procedure, and 4) immediately after the procedure
Anxiety measure, oxygen saturation
The participant's oxygen saturation will be recorded, using a finger pulse oximeter
Time frame: Oxygen saturation will be recorded at four timepoints: 1) immediately before the procedure, 2) during the procedure 3) during the procedure, and 4) immediately after the procedure
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: No
This study is terminated, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Medical University of South Carolina →