Animal Assisted Therapy

Animal Assisted Therapy as a Behavioral Management Technique During Dental Treatment in Pediatric Patients

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether treatment assisted by companion dogs, as a behavior management technique during dental treatment in pediatric patients, is effective, in children between 4 and 12 years old.

The main question it aims to answer is:

• Pediatric patients with poor behavior will improve their behavior in the presence of a therapy dog during dental treatments.

Researchers will compare patient behavior with and without the therapy dog to see if behavior during dental treatment improves with dog presence

Participants will complete two dental visits:

1. First visit: without the therapy dog
2. Second visit: with the therapy dog present In both visits, the child will receive the same dental treatment required in their treatment plan.

A faculty member will evaluate the child's behavior with and without the therapy dog. Parents or guardians will be asked to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire and a perception survey regarding dental treatment with or without the therapy dog.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with ages between 4-12 years old
• Patients who presents history of uncooperativeness during dental treatments and fear/anxiety in the dental setting, according to the parents.
• Patients must have at least two quadrants of dental interventions of similar complexity available

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children will be excluded if immunocompromised.
• Children with a had a medical history of allergies and/or phobias to dogs.