Impact of Therapy Dogs on Child Anxiety and Behavior During Local Anesthesia for Dental Procedures

A trained therapy dog will be present during the child's dental appointment. The dog will be in the operatory as the child enters the room and will lie on the child during injection of local anesthesia.

Basic behavior guidance as defined by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry includes strategies to help children cope through potentially stressful dental procedures. These strategies include tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, parental presence, and nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia, among others.