Center for Life Sciences, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-Campinas), 13034-685 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, PUC-Campinas, 13034-685 Campinas, SP, Brazil.
J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2023 Nov;47(6):38-43. doi: 10.22514/jocpd.2023.080. Epub 2023 Nov 3.
Anxiety is common in pediatric dental care, and affects the behavioral management of children. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been shown to improve children's behavior. However, few studies have applied this technique in dentistry. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of dog-assisted therapy to control anxiety during pediatric dental treatment. Twenty children were selected from the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Brazil. Participants were divided into two groups: Control (n = 11; visits = 16), in which children were conditioned by methods routinely used in the clinic; and AAT (n = 9; visits = 23), in which children had contact with a dog therapist first at the reception desk and then again inside the office. The dog therapist stayed beside the dental chair with the child throughout the procedures. Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (CS) and heart rate (HR) were used for evaluation of child anxiety. The results were tested for normality of distribution with the Shapiro-Wilk method, and subsequently analyzed in BioEstat 5.0. HR results were compared by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's test, and CS scores, with the Wilcoxon test. There was a significant reduction in HR in the AAT group ( = 0.0069). In the Control group, HR did not change before, during, or after treatment ( = 0.6052). Controls showed a significant increase in anxiety measured by CS before and after treatment ( = 0.0455). In the AAT group, there was no change in CS scores before and after treatment ( = 0.3739). AAT could be an alternative to reduce anxiety during pediatric dental care.
焦虑在儿科牙科护理中很常见，并影响儿童的行为管理。动物辅助治疗（AAT）已被证明可以改善儿童的行为。然而，很少有研究将这种技术应用于牙科。本研究旨在评估犬辅助治疗在控制儿科牙科治疗中焦虑的适用性。从巴西坎皮纳斯天主教大学（PUC-Campinas）儿科牙科诊所选择了 20 名儿童。参与者分为两组：对照组（n = 11；就诊次数 = 16），其中儿童通过诊所常规使用的方法进行调节；和 AAT 组（n = 9；就诊次数 = 23），其中儿童首先在接待处与犬治疗师接触，然后再次在办公室内接触。犬治疗师在整个治疗过程中一直坐在儿童旁边的牙科椅上。使用 Corah 的牙科焦虑量表（CS）和心率（HR）评估儿童的焦虑。使用 Shapiro-Wilk 方法检验儿童的 HR 结果的正态分布，然后在 BioEstat 5.0 中进行分析。通过方差分析（ANOVA）和 Tukey 检验比较 HR 结果，通过 Wilcoxon 检验比较 CS 评分。AAT 组的 HR 显著降低（= 0.0069）。在对照组中，HR 在治疗前后均未发生变化（= 0.6052）。对照组在治疗前后 CS 评分显著增加（= 0.0455）。在 AAT 组，治疗前后 CS 评分无变化（= 0.3739）。AAT 可能是减轻儿科牙科护理中焦虑的一种替代方法。
