Making Dental Visits Easier for Kids: A Study on Two Types of Play Therapy for 5 to 8-Year-Olds

Effectiveness of two different play therapy interventions in alleviating dental anxiety among children aged 5 to 8 years - NIL

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Phase 1Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

CTRI

Registry ID

CTRI/2025/04/084377

Enrollment

Registered

2025-04-08

Start date

Unknown

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-04-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Interventions

Intervention1: Play therapy interventions: toy dental set up Intervention2: Play therapy interventions: smart phone game Control Intervention1: not applicable: not applicable Control Intervention2: Ni

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Children between 5 and 8 years of age. 2. Children attending their first dental visit. 3. Children with caries on at least two lower teeth. 4. Healthy children with no history of systemic illness.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Children for whom parental consent could not be obtained. 2. Children with a history of pain or swelling. 3. Children with a behavior rating scale (Frankl s Rating Scale) score of FR-IV. 4. Children with special healthcare needs.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The primary outcome of the study is the reduction in dental anxiety among children aged 5 to 8 years.Timepoint: Baseline anxiety level calculated in the waiting area before and after intervention, before and after dental procedure in first dental visit. Anxiety level calculated after 2 weeks in the waiting area before and after intervention, before and after dental procedure in second dental visit.	—

Measure

Time frame

The primary outcome of the study is the reduction in dental anxiety among children aged 5 to 8 years.Timepoint: Baseline anxiety level calculated in the waiting area before and after intervention, before and after dental procedure in first dental visit. Anxiety level calculated after 2 weeks in the waiting area before and after intervention, before and after dental procedure in second dental visit.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. The comparative effectiveness of two different play therapy interventions (a smartphone-based game & a toy dental setup) in reducing anticipatory & procedural anxiety. 2. Changes in pain perception as measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). 3. Behavioral changes observed in children during the procedure using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale. 4. The impact of repeated exposure to anxiety-reducing interventions on heart rate changes across two visits.Timepoint: After two weeks follow up of first dental visit	—

Measure

Time frame

1. The comparative effectiveness of two different play therapy interventions (a smartphone-based game & a toy dental setup) in reducing anticipatory & procedural anxiety. 2. Changes in pain perception as measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). 3. Behavioral changes observed in children during the procedure using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale. 4. The impact of repeated exposure to anxiety-reducing interventions on heart rate changes across two visits.Timepoint: After two weeks follow up of first dental visit

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Countries

India

Contacts

Public ContactArokia Alice Trishy P

Tagore Dental College and Hospital

alicetrish09@gmail.com6381344638

Outcome results