Robotic approach to the reduction of dental anxiety in children

Abstract

Objective

We introduced a humanoid robot for the use of techno-psychological distraction techniques in children aged 4–10 to reduce their anxiety and improve their behaviour during dental treatment.

Materials and methods

Two hundred children (98 boys, 102 girls; mean age: 6.5 ± 1.66 years) appointed for first time for dental caries were included and randomly divided into two groups [N = 100 for each group; RG: Robot Group (accompanied by the robot), CG: Control Group (without robot accompaniment)]. Half of the children were treated under local anaesthesia (infiltration anaesthesia) (n = 50 within each group) and half of the children were treated without any local anaesthesia (n = 50 within each group) within each group. The success rate of the new robotic distraction technique was evaluated by using Parental Corah Dental Anxiety Scale, Facial Image Scale (FIS), physiological pulse rate and Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale (FBRS).

Result

Pulse rates, which measured during treatment and after treatment, were statistically higher in CG than in RG (p < .05). After dental treatment, the FIS score was significantly higher in CG than RG (p < .05). 88.3% of the children in RG stated that they wanted the robot to be with them at the next treatment session.

Conclusions

Robotic technology can successfully help in coping with dental anxiety and stress, and helps children to behave better in dental office.

Keywords:

• Children
• dental anxiety
• healthcare robotics
• human computer interaction
• iRobiQ
• WoZ experimentation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The research reported in this paper was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under grant no: 214S157.