Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31890307›Full record

ArticleClinical and experimental dental research2019

Dog-assisted therapy in the dental clinic: Part A-Hazards and assessment of potential risks to the health and safety of humans.

Anne M Gussgard, J Scott Weese, Arne Hensten, Asbjørn Jokstad

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and experimental dental research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Assessment of dental anxiety in children between 5 and 10 years of age in the presence of a therapy dog: a randomized controlled clinical study.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2021
    Trial
  4. Dog-assisted therapy in paediatric dentistry: physiological, psychological, and family-centred benefits in managing child dental anxiety.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026
    Article
  5. Hippotherapy in the Treatment of CMD and Bruxism in Dentistry.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Improving oral health care accessibility for homeless and vulnerably housed pet-owning populations.Canadian journal of dental hygiene : CJDH = Journal canadien de l'hygiene dentaire : JCHD · 2022
    Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Anne M GussgardFaculty of Health Sciences UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-0395-1242
J Scott WeeseCentre for Public Health and Zoonoses, Ontario Veterinary College University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada.
Arne HenstenFaculty of Health Sciences UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway.
Asbjørn JokstadFaculty of Health Sciences UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-5902-4520
UiT The Arctic University of Norway · NOUniversity of Guelph · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Dog-assisted therapy in the dental clinic may be an attractive alternative to sedation for anxious patients. Including a dental therapy dog in a clinical setting introduces new hazards and potential risks to health and safety for both humans and animal. Objectives: The study aims to describe potential hazards associated with risks to humans by having a therapy dog present in the dental clinic and to provide guidance on best practices to minimise and control risks for the patients, the dentist, and the dental clinic staff. Materials and Methods: Literature searches in Medline, http://Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar for qualitative and quantitative assessments of hazards and risks associated with the use of therapy dogs in health care settings, in combination with a review of the reference list of the included studies. Identified hazards and risks were analysed with respect for the health and welfare of humans in a dental clinic setting that involves the presence of a therapy dog. Results: Potential risks to health and safety for humans in dental clinics that offer dog-assisted therapy can be categorised within four general categories of hazards: the dog as a source of zoonotic pathogens and human diseases, exposure to canine allergens, adverse animal behaviour, and dangers associated with high activity in a congested dental clinic operatory. Risks to humans are reduced by maintaining awareness amongst the dental clinic staff and the dog handler of all potential hazards in the dental clinic, and on how to reduce these hazards as well as adverse events that may scare the dental therapy dog. Conclusions: Risks to the health and safety of humans in the presence of therapy dog in the clinics are present but are low if the dental clinical staff and dog handlers comply with best practices.

Indexed as

Animal Assisted TherapyAnimalsAnxietyDental CareDental ClinicsDogsHumansPatient SafetyPractice Guidelines as TopicRisk Assessmentanxietydental staffdisease vectorsdogs

Identifiers

PMID31890307
PMCPMC6934338
OpenAlexW2967700251

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.