Recruiting

Tactile Imagery

Sponsor:

University of Southern California

Code:

NCT07719205

Conditions

Dental Anxiety in Children

Behavior Change

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 4 - 10

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Tactile Previsit Imagery Booklet

Study Details

Brief summary:

In pediatric dentistry, our primary goals are to prevent dental caries and, when necessary, provide treatment in a safe and comforting environment that minimizes anxiety for young patients. By familiarizing young patients with the steps involved in common dental procedures, tactile pre-visit imagery booklets can reduce the fear of the unknown.

Study Objective/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether tactile pre-visit imagery could reduce dental anxiety and fear in pediatric patients prior to their first restorative procedure. An additional aspect of this study entails assessing the patient's behavior and determining if it improves with the use of a tactile pre-visit imagery booklet.

Conditions

Dental Anxiety in Children

Behavior Change

Study ID

NCT07719205

Start date

Jan 15, 2026

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Jun, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 26, 2026

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 4 - 10

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 4-10 years
  • ASA I or II
  • Patients who have NOT had dental treatment before
  • Patients needing at least ONE composite filling or stainless steel crown \[CP1\] with nitrous oxide and local anesthesia (composite filling must be done at the first treatment visit)
  • Parents and children must speak English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children with developmental delays or cognitive impairments that may impact their ability to participate in pre-visit imagery activities
  • Patients with visual or tactile disabilities associated for a particular medical condition or as reported on their medical history form
  • Patients who refuse to wear nitrous hood
  • Emergency dental appointments

Study Design

Enrollment

100 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Tactile Previsit Imagery

Receives tactile previsit imagery booklet

no intervention: No Tactile Previsit Imagery

No additional previsit imagery

Interventions

Tactile Previsit Imagery Booklet

Physical Booklet that walks patient through all materials used during the dental treatmne and contains physical items that are going to be used so that patient can touch and feel.

Primary outcome measure

  • Dental Anxiety [ Time Frame: At baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after treatment (post-intervention) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

USC Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry - Pediatric Dental Clinic

Recruiting

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90089

Contacts

Catherine Pham

213-740-0412cmpham@usc.edu

Altamed Dental Clinic

Recruiting

Santa Ana, California, United States, 92704

Contacts

Alyssa Nowlen

888-499-9303annowlen@usc.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Southern California

Last update posted

Jul 22, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Southern California on 2026-07-22.